The Yves Saint Laurent Museum is undoubtedly an attraction not to miss in Paris.
The recently opened museum in 5 avenue Marceau is located in the exact same building where Mr. Saint Laurent created his masterpieces between 1974 and 2002.
This highly evocative location is what makes not only the museum unique but also the experience you live navigating through the various rooms authentic.
Strolling around the salons where Saint Laurent’s clients would try on their sumptuous custom pieces and walking in the studio where Saint Laurent would design his memorable couture pieces is breathtaking.
The museum tour starts in the main salon, where large black and white photographs of a young Yves Saint Laurent are displayed and where a brief video summing up the famous couturier’s career from his first steps at Christian Dior in Avenue Montaigne to his final steps at his own couture house is showcased.
The exhibition continues in the other salons on the ground level, where the bulk of the museum is.
In the first gallery are displayed some designs from Mr. Saint Laurent’s first solo collection in 1962, from his pieces for theatre and ballet that he so deeply appreciated to his most iconic works.
The second gallery features a multicolour assortment of looks that take inspiration from the exotic places that Yves so frequently visited such as his beloved Marrakesh.
Another gallery is dedicated to art and to the four main artists that influenced Saint Laurent’s designs: Van Gogh, Matisse, Picasso and finally Mondrian, to whom the couturier even dedicated an entire collection in 1965.
Upstairs another gallery focuses on themes. The history of fashion from Greeks and Romans to the Belle Époque is evoked through 12 opulent gowns that are showcased under a very bright and vivid light that makes their splendour stand out.
And no better way to end the exposition on the same floor with the recreation of the studio of Saint Laurent himself. The set-up is exactly the same as the original, which makes the atmosphere very special and real.
The museum also offers an entire section dedicated to all the work that hides behind the extremely beautiful and curated Yves Saint Laurent collections. Different testimonies from people who first-hand worked with the era-defining couturier closely explain all the steps needed to make the perfect couture piece.
The Yves Saint Laurent Museum is literally a dream come true. In fact, Yves Saint Laurent had already overseen the creation of the museum, having catalogued more than 5,000 garments and 15,000 accessories starting from the Eighties marking them with the letter “M” which stands for “museum” and I totally think that if he could see the museum now he would not change a thing.
