Main content
Sorry, this episode is not currently available

Belle de Jour

William Banks-Blaney explores how Yves Saint Laurent's costumes for the 1967 film chart the evolution of Catherine Deneuve's character.

"Couture is for grannies," declared Brigitte Bardot in 1964, as high fashion came under increasing threat from the ready-to-wear industry. But just three years later, another cool, blonde French movie star, Catherine Deneuve, helped reconnect couture with a new generation. William Banks-Blaney explores how Yves Saint Laurent's costumes for the 1967 film chart the evolution of Deneuve's character from bourgeois housewife to masochistic prostitute. And he explains how, in a decade of enormous upheaval, Belle de Jour had a far darker message hidden within its haute couture.

Release date:

9 minutes

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter William Banks-Blaney
Director Rachel Allison
Executive Producer Allan Campbell

Which film fashion icon are you?

Take our quiz and discover whether you're most like Holly, Belle, Annie or Cher.