The Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris exhibits a unique selection of approximately fifty haute couture designs throughout its entire exhibition space. In addition to the main themes that shaped the couturier’s body of work, the new display explores two of Yves Saint Laurent’s major creations: his well-known Mondrian dresses (autumn-winter 1965) and the gowns made in collaboration with the artist Claude Lalanne (autumn-winter 1969).

The “Mondrian Revolution”

For its new display, the Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris will devote a considerable part of its exhibition space to the autumn-winter 1965 collection and examine its legacy beyond the history of fashion. “Revolutionary” was how the press described this collection, which drew attention for its modern, avant-garde style.

These dresses would subsequently alter the connection between fashion and art by transforming a painting into an animate work of art. By asserting his desire to confront the principal artists of modernism, Yves Saint Laurent helped to popularize the Dutch painter, who was not widely known at the time. The Mondrian dresses were so successful that they were heavily copied, especially in the United States. These iconic dresses have now become a part of popular culture and have been reinterpreted by contemporary artists, some of whose works, for instance those of Nicolas Saint Grégoire, will be exhibited as part of the display.

Collaboration with Claude Lalanne

Fifty years after the autumn-winter 1969 collection was shown, the Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris features Yves Saint Laurent and Claude Lalanne’s collaboration for his haute couture collections. 

For her first contribution, the sculptress made casts of the model Veruschka’s chest and stomach.  This anthropomorphic armor in galvanic copper adorned two diaphanous blue and black chiffon gowns which shared in a new kind of fashion with their unique combination of sculpture and adornment.

The collaboration went on with the creation of sculpted jewelry for Yves Saint Laurent's haute couture collections between 1969 and 1983.The jewelry that Lalanne created for Yves Saint Laurent’s collection were true works of art. Their pure and easy lines contrasted with the whimsical adornments that usually completed haute couture looks.

A New Take on the Main Themes

For this display, the Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris is also renewing the other works exhibited in the museum. The section devoted to the iconic designs conveying the quintessential Saint Laurent style—such as the tuxedo, the safari jacket, the jumpsuit, and the trench coat—is further expanded to help visitors gain a better understanding of the timeless nature of the wardrobe created by the couturier. A new section devoted to fashion show photography is also unveiled, exhibiting work by the photographer Claus Ohm.