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Yves Saint Laurent Retrospective, Paris

It’s been nearly two years since the grand master couturier, Prince of Pret-a-Porter Yves Saint Laurent died and it’s taken that long to compose a fitting enough tribute. The petit palace in Paris hosts fifteen rooms of an invaluable selection of 307 pieces spanning YSL’s career from his first foray into couture at maison Christian Dior in 1958, his first own-label designs in 1962 and his last in 2002. Alongside the mint-condition samples are a host of photographs and filmic records, kept thanks to the meticulous collection of his long-term partner in work and at times life, Pierre Berge.

It’s commonplace now for designers to plunder references from the past and Yves was partly responsible for such a practice. He revelled in re-creating looks from the archives of art, history and global culture whether it be a beautifully cut Belle Époque Edwardian dress, Henri Matisse print or exquisitely embellished winter coat inspired by Russian Cossacks.

It’s unusual to find a designer without a definitive signature as such - a quick scan of his designs reveals an incredible diversity. One season sees the simplest block colour shift dress, inspired by Piet Mondrian. Another sees exotic, embellished tribal couture conjured from an imaginary trip to Central Africa whilst other decadent prints are pulled from the mystique of Morocco where the designer sought respite. Super-feminine red carpet gowns for his muse Catherine Deneuve contrast with masculine pantsuits. And here in lies his success, he was able to successfully forecast, or perhaps engineer women’s next desires be it the Trapeze line for his debut Dior collection to pop colour. Yves courted controversy or more appropriately, was indifferent to it - swiping the tuxedo pantsuit from men and giving his Les Smoking a sensual appeal for women. His 1940s-inspired collection of 1971 went down with the style press like a tonne of bricks who deemed it ugly (and even reminiscent of Nazi-occupied France). It is now commonly referred to as the ‘scandal’ collection.

For him, anything was suitable and possible for women as the program notes reinforce, “Chanel gave women their freedom, but Saint Laurent gives them their power.” The exhibition takes place in the Petit Palace of Paris’ Musee des Beaux Arts. It’s protects the work of the Old Masters, a host of revered artisans with whom Yves Saint Laurent has rightful joined.

Until 29th August

All Images Courtesy of Musee des Beux-Arts Paris unless otherwise credited