The Fondation Pierre Bergé-Yves Saint Laurent and the Petit Palais (City of Paris Museum of Fine Arts) are showcasing the first Yves Saint-Laurent retrospective exhibition since the fashion designer passed away.
In 40 years of creating, Yves Saint-Laurent revolutionised women’s wardrobes, by drawing on aspects of the male evening suit, trouser suit and safari suit to dress women, thereby passing attributes of power from one gender to the other.
A total of 307 haute couture and prêt-à-porter models are on show, ranging from the designer’s beginnings at Dior in 1958, with the famous “Trapèze” collection, to the splendour of the evening dresses from 2002.
Numerous photographs and films shed light on the historical background, the development of the Yves Saint-Laurent style and the aspects underpinning his creations.
The designer took inspiration from the streets (1971 scandale collection), his dreamlike journeys (Russia, China, India, Spain, Japan, Africa and Morocco) and interaction with art (Modrian, Picasso, Matisse, Van Gogh).
