Focusing on gold, faithful followers of YSL and fashionistas alike can immerge themselves in a curated world of the designer's much admired work, from his iconic haute-couture and ready-to-wear fashion to accessories, bold jewellery and luxurious formal pieces and rich designs, and examine the role that gold played in the couturier's work.
“It is today’s black. I always enliven black with gold, through buttons, belts and chains”, Yves Saint Laurent.
The "gold" themed exhibition highlights the designer’s work, from the first buttons on his pea coats to his fluidly golden dresses and Saint Laurent's special mastery touch handling the dazzling radiance of gold in a wide array of materials, including brocade, laces, lamé, sequins, leathers, embroidery… The Yves Saint Laurent’s gold touch extended even to his perfume.
While charting the couturier illustrious career that took off at the House of Dior following the death of Christian Dior his mentor, the exhibition gives insight into his celebrated collections, referencing the many landmark works such as Le Smoking and Les Transparences, as well as his work with glossy magazine photographers such as David Bailey, and his glamorous clients including Zizi Jeanmaire and Catherine Deneuve, and such personalities as Loulou de La Falaise and Paloma Picasso.
By popularizing gold and modern femininity as imagined by Saint Laurent, women were free to be individuals.
The golden era of Saint Laurent's success was marked between the end of the 60s and the beginning of the 1980s when he was a frequent patron of Paris' trendy nightclubs and lavish parties, and the lure of seductive Hollywood stars, the likes of Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor and Marlene Dietrich, who inspired the iconic couturier with a certain energy, elegance and glamour.
Towards the top of the stairs at 5 avenue Marceau was Saint Laurent's studio, the epicentre and heart of the couture house for nearly 30 years, preserved as it was when the haute couture house closed in 2002.
In this light and inspirational room, one can imagine the days when the designer worked endlessly with his colleagues and fitting models, with sketches and fabric swatches spread out on the desks, as well as a mannequin with a fitted jacket with gold embroidery in place, trays of buttons and trimmings, and rolls of fabrics in one corner.
One wall of cabinets is filled with files, reference books and documents of the designer's work, while a large mirror dominates an entire wall reflecting back the amazing spectacle of the designer atelier.
In all, there were some 40 Haute-Couture and Ready-to-Wear dresses, as well a selection of jewellery, perfumes, and accessories.
The golden touch of Yves Saint Laurent lives on.
All photos by Lucia Carpio
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