I felt honored and inspired to explore a 40-year retrospective of Yves Saint Laurent’s design genius. And of all places, The Denver Art Museum had the privilege to provide this StyleEye an intimate tour through Saint Laurent’s creative life.
It was a StyleEye opener to see how “it” all began with his first days at Dior, and proceeded with an innovative and inspired journey that ceremoniously concluded in a final 2002 runway collection.
This stunning display of 200 haute couture outfits, photographs, drawings, and films, not only wowed me, but moved me to goose bumps on several occasions. I would have truly worn every single creation I eye’d!
I mean where will I ever find a torero ensemble comprised of a pink gazar cape, gold and pink lamé bolero, and knickerbockers with a bright pink satin and taffeta blouse to wear to my next bullfight? NOWHERE!
Needless to say, this glimpse into the creative development of one the most iconic designers is pure style magic.
“Any woman who has worn a pants suit, a pea coat, or a safari jacket has a connection to Yves Saint Laurent. His vision changed the woman’s wardrobe forever.” – Christoph Heinrich, Denver Art Museum
The exhibition is organized thematically; the presentation melds design and art to explore the full arc of Saint Laurent’s career. Presented in a visually rich and dramatic way that walks visitors through his life and designs. –YSLDenver.com
The exhibition went a little something like this:
Birth of a Revolutionary Couturier - The exhibition starts with a display of Saint Laurent’s designs for Dior, including the 1958 “Trapeze” collection. With this collection, Saint Laurent anticipated the freedom movement of the 1960s.
A Gender Revolution – A look into how Saint Laurent created a gender revolution by allowing women to express themselves freely, melding the flair of a man’s suit with the seductiveness of woman’s clothing.
Yves Saint Laurent and Women – Here we see the clothing of the historic women who wore and supported Saint Laurent, including Betty Catroux, Catherine Deneuve, Loulou de la Falaise, Françoise Giroud, Princess Grace of Monaco, Nan Kempner, Paloma Picasso, Diana Vreeland and H.R.H. Duchess of Windsor.
Creating a Furor - Celebrating the revolutionary style Saint Laurent gave couture; this section is dedicated to his 1971 Scandal Collection, which transported people back to the 1940s, and a time of war and occupation. The press denounced but the customers adored this collection. The see-through'ness was the big scandal!
The Enchantment of the Exotic - In this area, the imaginary world of Saint Laurent is explored—especially a focus on his whimsical travels to China, India and Russia to create his collections using exotic materials, furs and feathers.
Dialogue with Artists and Writers - The art world takes center stage in a section that draws direct lines between the designer and the artists he admired. In 1965, Saint Laurent launched a collection inspired by Piet Mondrian, the early 20th century painter known for his distinctive style oflines and bold color combinations on flat surfaces. Mondrian’s work clearly inspired Saint Laurent in the first of many of the designer’s intersections with the art world.
The Last Ball - The magic of night and fashion is the focus of The Last Ball section, a succession of exquisite evening dresses from the glory days of haute couture.
Le Smoking - In this section, we get a close look at 40 years of Saint Laurent creations through a wall of more than 30 tuxedos. The first ever “Le Smoking” (the French term for tuxedo) from 1966 faces a variety of other tuxedos, each representative of a fundamental work by Saint Laurent.
The Colors of Yves Saint Laurent - In this section, we get a look at the collision of colors Saint Laurent famously used in his designs with vibrant examples from his collections and hundreds of fabric samples.
This is one of those experiences where you truly had to be there to experience the amazingness of it all. I have new found education, respect and admiration for Mr. Saint Laurent and feel completely style-blessed to have his influences saturate my generation.
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