Visit Musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris at the Petit Palais (map it)
Find “Yves Saint Laurent.” Embark on a journey through the life and times of the revolutionary fashion designer, who defined classic feminine style, at this historic establishment’s first-ever haute couture exhibition, which opened in March and runs through August.
The Back-Story Yves Saint Laurent once referred to his craft as, “not exactly an art, but which depends on an artist for its existence.” This is the reason the Petit Palais decided to pay tribute to the late designer, who passed away just two years ago. Saint Laurent was not only influenced by several artists, but also was—and will always be—considered a timeless artist himself.
This intimate exhibit chronicles his greatest accomplishments decade-by-decade (between 1962 to 2002) through 307 haute couture and ready-to-wear garments, plus drawings, photographs, videos and a replica of his studio. It starts with his nearly intoxicating “Trapeze collection,” a celebration of beauty and freedom, which debuted in 1958, just one year after Saint Laurent, then 21, took over the fashion house of the late Christian Dior.
According to his partner Pierre Berge, Chanel may have freed women, but Saint Laurent gave them power by putting them in menswear-inspired clothes, like the sea jacket, the safari suit, trouser suit, skirt suit, smock suit, and “le smoking”, a man’s tuxedo designed for a woman. An entire room is dedicated to le smoking: rows of mannequins dressed in countless variations of this jacket line a black wall, from top to bottom, like fine art sculptures. The stark white blouses underneath beautifully accentuate the intricate designs of each unique jacket. It’s moments like this when one quickly realizes they are truly in the presence of greatness.
For more information about the exhibition, click here.
[Photography courtesy of Wikimedia]
Published on July 16, 2010
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