Yves Saint Laurent

As the holiday season has begun and the trees, houses, streets are adorned with their most beautiful lights and decorations, of course I can't help but think of festive outfits!

Which reminded me of the wonderful creations of Yves Saint Laurent that I discovered at the beginning of the year during a special exhibition “Yves Saint Laurent at the Museums”, in collaboration with many museums in Paris.

Dresses, jackets and suits were presented associated with artists, paintings, texts, which had inspired the designer.

And it’s with great admiration that I present these photos to you this week.

As a reminder, all the photos are mine – Laëtitia Nguyen

To start, let’s go back to the time of Proust at the magnificent Orsay Museum.

These outfits, inspired by In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust, of which Yves Saint Laurent was passionate, represent on the one hand the "world in transition" (those are his words) and on the other hand this duality of genders (masculine- feminine).

Thus, the 2 dresses, which borrow from the fashion of the end of the 19th century, were created for the Proust Ball, celebrating the centenary of the birth of Marcel Proust, and organised in 1971 by the Baron and Baroness de Rothschild.

The dress in the background is the dress created for the Baroness and the one in the foreground for Jane Birkin.

As for the tuxedo, which appeared in the 19th century in England, it was in 1966 that the designer adapted them to women to expand their wardrobe. Those presented here come from collections between 1966 and 2001.

Essential clothing and centerpiece of this genius of fashion.

Just like Yves Saint Laurent, Proust is one of my favourite authors, and I actually quoted him in my solo wedding vows in Santorini.

I can perfectly see myself wearing one of his magnificent creations, made of delicate fabrics and materials but offering so much personality!

Change of era and decor at the National Picasso Museum.

This time it’s Cubism that influences YSL and several of its collections. Creations that pay homage to Pablo Picasso and his works.

In the Fall-Winter 1979 collection, this is impossible not to recognise this allusion.

And he goes even further, by drawing inspiration from the Portrait of Nusch Eluard, he creates a jacket based on the model of Elsa Schiaparelli worn on the painting. A way for the designer to honour the painter but also the fashion designer.

For the Spring-Summer 1988 collection “homage to artists”, he chose to “putting static objects into motion on a woman's body”.

He applies here the same approach as Picasso with assemblage, representation, and details.
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So much genius and elegance.

I had the chance to also visit the Yves Saint Laurent Museum and of course I’ll do an article about it!
 
I hope I made you dream and that it inspired you, in my case, nothing like art and beauty to increase my creativity!
And for your greatest pleasure and mine, an article will be published on Saturday December 24 and Saturday December 31, so that you have something to read by the fire (northern hemisphere) or at the beach (southern hemisphere).
 
Feel free to read my previous articles:

• Fashion Exhibitions: Jean-Paul Gaultier – Victoria's Secret/Balmain
• Barbie Exhibition
• Thierry Mugler
• Helena Rubinstein
• Elsa Peretti
• Bird Paradise
• Florae
• Sorolla
• Hat Designer
• Shoes Forever
• My Wedding Gown

 
 
Happy Holidays everyone!!

Love & Joy,
L.