ysl

YSL, three inextricably linked letters. They say that if Coco Chanel liberated women, Yves Saint Laurent empowered them. Until 29 August 2010, the Pierre Berge-Yves Saint Laurent Foundation and the Petit Palais museum present the first retrospective of Yves Saint Laurent’s work.

307 haute couture and prêt-a-porter designs are displayed, from the beginnings of the designer’s time at Dior in 1958 with the famous "Trapèze" collection, to the splendour of 2002’s evening dresses. Numerous photographs and films illustrate the historical context, the development of Yves Saint Laurent’s style and the foundations of his work.

In 40 years of design, Yves Saint Laurent revolutionised women’s wardrobes, borrowing from the masculine tailoring of the tuxedo, the trouser suit and the safari jacket, thus transferring the attributes of power from one sex to the other.

With his numerous sources of inspiration, from art (Mondrian, Picasso, Matisse, Van Gogh), to the street (the shocking 1971 collection) to his imaginary travels (Russia, China, India, Spain, Japan, Africa and Morocco), Yves Saint Laurent never stopped "making fashion a celebration".

This retrospective pays homage to the immense talent of one of the greatest names in French fashion.