Gold, the Golds of Yves Saint Laurent: The Enchanting
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Radiant, inspiring, provocative… So many adjectives can describe the golds of Yves Saint Laurent. Presented until May 14, 2023, the new exhibition at the museum dedicated to the designer takes us on a sunlit stroll, surrounded by pieces filled with creativity, made of lamé fabrics and other golden details. A suspended moment that continually highlights the elegance and richness of Yves Saint Laurent’s work, which has left a lasting impression on minds and runways. On this occasion, we have prepared a selection of golden pieces that may catch your eye once you’ve visited the exhibition.
5 Avenue Marceau, from Studio to Museum: How Did This Address Make Yves Saint Laurent Shine?
From a collection of paper dolls to pieces that have impressed people worldwide, Yves Saint Laurent’s career is admirable and has never ceased to amaze.
Winning awards for two consecutive years at the annual International Wool Secretariat competition, the designer caught attention and found himself under the wing of Christian Dior in 1955. Following Dior’s death two years later, Yves Saint Laurent took over as Artistic Director at just 21 years old.
A visionary designer who once imagined his name in gold letters on the Champs-Élysées, he launched his own house in 1961, setting up at 30bis Rue Spontini. The second chapter, unfolding in the private mansion that now houses the museum, began in 1974 and continued until 2002, marking the end of his activity.
Between Creation and Nostalgia
Behind the glass doors of 5 Avenue Marceau, in Paris’s 16th arrondissement, we discover a place full of grace, where moldings and gilding beckon. More than just a museum, the place reveals itself as a part of life, emanating the atmosphere of the history that unfolded there. Years of creation, ambition, and revelation. Artistic exchanges, moments of reflection, and magnificent fashion shows.
The location reflects the love of the Bergé – Saint Laurent couple for beautiful spaces and volumes, refined architectures, and other collected objects. Known for being great collectors, travelers, and dreamers, the two men wrote their story alongside that of the house. These adjectives are reflected in the inspirations for the designer’s collections, paying homage to art, from Picasso to Jean Cocteau, and to other horizons, from China to Africa.
Between pieces, accessories, and moments captured by photographers, Yves Saint Laurent’s creations come to life before our eyes, enchanting us with their details and finesse, all wrapped in a veil of nostalgia. Particularly in the designer’s studio, where time seems to have stopped. With a nearly halted breath, it feels like we are slipping in during a lunch break when everyone has stepped out.
Before us, everything remains as it was yesterday. The desks, books lined up, fabrics and other rolls by the meter, sketches mingling with material samples and other embroideries ready to complement the finishes. All adorned with golden details, from buttons, brooches, and bracelets to the evening bolero on display. All echoing the path we’ve taken through the museum, surrounded by these pieces that make the golds of Yves Saint Laurent an invaluable treasure marking an era of haute couture.
How Did the Golds of Yves Saint Laurent Mark Fashion History?
Beginning at the end of 2022, the exhibition brings brilliance to the 60th anniversary of the creator’s first eponymous collection. Five years after the museum’s opening, the space is imbued with a festive spirit, where we discover the evolution of Yves Saint Laurent’s golds, between the emancipation of women in the 60s and the extravagance of the sultry evenings at the Palace.
Among cabinets of curiosities, podiums with golden outfits, and walls adorned with the finest jewelry, Yves Saint Laurent’s golds are present in all forms, worn day and night. In total, more than forty models and 300 pieces of jewelry are revealed.
How Did Yves Saint Laurent’s Golds Empower Women?
Long associated with the powerful, divine figures, and the highly affluent society, gold carries a strong symbolism. Additionally, primarily used for men of power, the appropriation of gold by women’s wardrobes marks a takeover by the feminine gender. Like Louis XIV in all his splendor, women draped in Yves Saint Laurent’s golds are reborn and revolutionize everyday life.
A border between masculine and feminine that serves as a creative playground for the designer, who used wider, more masculine cuts to dress women in the 60s. In a period of emancipation, we see how Yves Saint Laurent redefined the feminine silhouette by breaking the codes to bring a more modern vision. Additionally, the gold that dresses women detaches itself from its usual bourgeoisie and even draws inspiration from Swinging London, with a more street spirit. A mix of styles that adds character to the outfits, designed to both captivate and fit into exuberance.
Yves Saint Laurent’s golds sublimate women, enveloping their bodies in their solar radiance. Between material combinations, transparency play, and trompe l’œil effects, golden touches increasingly find their place in designs, from a button detail to a total golden look.
How Did Yves Saint Laurent Redefine the Role of Jewelry?
We discover the creator’s vision of this metal. Not a fan of daytime jewelry, he found in this resource a way to adorn women. His golden buttons fill the lack of jewelry and illuminate dark pieces during the day, like a black pea coat. Once the sun sets, evening dresses are accompanied by jewels and cannot be conceived without them. Each dress is designed in conjunction with a jewelry piece, to the point of becoming one with it, like the jewel dress.
An iconic piece of the exhibition, this model is the culmination of the work around Yves Saint Laurent’s golds. We see how gold gradually became part of materials and fabrics, with a long mermaid-effect dress entirely made of golden metal. The piece emphasizes the inseparable nature of the jewelry and the dress, through the trompe l’œil creation of a belt and necklace adorned with crystals, directly sewn into the garment.
A great lover of ornaments, we can admire enchanting displays of belts, golden breast molds, hair jewelry, brooches, bracelets, earrings, and necklaces. On the one hand, gold blends with crystal colors, between pale green and azure blue. On the other, gold stands alone, timeless, standing out in shapes inspired by seashells or inscribing words like “sun” to shine even more.
Why Are Yves Saint Laurent’s Golds Inspired by His Encounters?
Yves Saint Laurent’s golds honor collaborations and the French craftsmanship of artisans who turn imagination into reality, allowing ideas to be inscribed in Haute Couture. They also draw strength from the designer’s friendships, notably with Loulou de la Falaise for his accessories.
Other encounters, like with Betty Catroux in the trendy nights of the capital, gave a new impetus to his pieces, inspired by these places with an atmosphere of seduction, freedom, glamour, and exuberance. The pieces are wrapped in sensuality, with a play of transparency, décolleté, and backless designs. Outfits that magnified, among others, Sylvie Vartan and Zizi Jeanmaire on stage.
Yves Saint Laurent’s golds also highlight his encounter with art, particularly with the design of poem jackets, where Jean Cocteau’s verses are embroidered in gold thread and sequins. The designer also nods to other peers, like embroidering Elsa Schiaparelli’s name on a piece.
In sum, Yves Saint Laurent’s golds, in all their expressions, highlight the solar power of women and enhance them day and night.
How to Wear Yves Saint Laurent’s Golds?
If the exhibition on Yves Saint Laurent’s golds has enchanted you, here are some golden pieces to help you shine and express your femininity.
The Clothes
