Yves Saint-Laurent: A great designer through the times

Last Saturday I went to the Mapfre Foundation to see a retrospective exhibition about Yves Saint-Laurent. I have no words to explain how I felt, surrounded by these gorgeous Hat-Couture dresses and tuxedoes. It´absolutely amazing!
If you are in Madrid, I encourage you to visit it. It's open till January. You'll never regret it.

Talking about himself, Yves Saint-Laurent recognized that his worst defect was shyness. His main virtue, willingness. If he was asked about his favorite historical figure, he always with his sweet voice said: "Mademoiselle Chanel" His favorite painter, Picasso. He loved Bach's music and the musicians of the 19th century, the opera. And his favorite writer, without no doubt, Proust. His favorite color was black, but he began to love colors after his stays in Marrakech (Morocco)
If he had chosen a leif-motiv to guide his life, he had chosen: "The most important thing is to last" Yves Saint-Laurent died but his desings will continue emphasizing women's feminity. Finally, he has achieved his dream of lasting forever.

After the description of our character, let's enjoy the exhibition. It begins with his Maison Dior's designs: his gowns from the Collection Trapèze (1958) and the crocodrile leather jacket with mink, from the Collection Souplesse(1960)

Collection Souplesse jacket

After leaving the Maison Dior, the real Yves Saint-Laurent revolution began: his first tuxedo (1966), his first saharienne and his first trouser suit (1967) and his first jumpsuit. He unsanctified fashion. Street was the source of his inspiration. Fashion became more democratic and affordable thanks to him.

Le Smoking (Helmut Newton)

Veruschka

Unfortunately, in the summer of 1971, after the premiere of his 40 Collection, critics hounded him and reproached him having recovered fashion of the nazi ocuppation period in a too crude way: "Bad taste at his peak", "The ugliest collection of the whole Paris", "Women in their worst hours"... This haute-couture collection was a commercial failure but, nowadays, his influence still remains.
I felt in love with two crêpe de chine dresses: one, printed in red and black; and the other one, with camouflage print and a fox fur boa. And what about the green fox fur coat, masterfully wore by Naomi Campbell in the last show? Stunning!

40 Collection

Yves Saint-Laurent loved women body. In fact, he never worked with a wooden manniquin, but with a real model of flesh and blood.
He said that "there was nothing more beautiful than a naked body. The most beautiful garment a woman can wear are the arms of the man she loves" And for showing it, he dressed his model with a black silken long night dress with black ostrich feathers ¡Magnifique!

Yves Saint-Laurent wasn't a great traveller. He only travel twice a year to Marrakech, where he owned an appartment; and there he designed the sketches for the next collection. But it wasn't any impediment to travel through Literature: India, China, Japan, Spain, Africa and Russia. And here I found with a great surprised that wasn't Jean Paul Gaultier who invented bodices with tipped breasts (those who wore Madonna in her "Blond Ambition Tour") In 1967, Yves Saint-Laurent have designed a long evening gown, embroidered with rhodoid and black wooden beads. Marvelous!

Spain

Africa

The best part came in the last room, where almost 40 gowns and tuxedoes lives their last dance. The 22nd of January of 2002, the last show took place at the Pompidou Center (Paris, France) 30 new desings, plus 300 retrospective ones, run the catwalk.