Musée Yves Saint Laurent

What draws many into the world of fashion is the idea that this is a world of excess and few limitations. Parties and hedonistic behaviour are an integral part of product launches, and in order to succeed you obviously need a business sense, but more than anything, you need style. In this world of unscrupulous elegance, Yves Saint Laurent found a place to call home. As one of the most defining personalities of 20th century fashion, Saint Laurent came to embody an era and to invent an aesthetic that still lingers today.

After his brief stint at Christian Dior, Saint Laurent opened his own haute couture-brand, supported by his partner Pierre Bergé. His designs ranged from the wearable to the provocative, and inspired by his stays in Marrakesh, he began using colour in a way that no one had ever done before (or even after). For anyone who has been to Morocco and experienced the peculiar light in this region, the connection is evident. 

He developed with his times and launched a less expensive line of mass-produced clothes in 1966, at the height of the new youth culture. The name “rive gauche” alluded to the left side of the Seine in Paris, where the Sorbonne and all its students were – defining forces of this moment in history. In this way, Saint Laurent managed to be both luxurious and accessible, appealing both to the young revolutionaries and their mothers. 

For decades, Saint Laurent put his mark on fashion. He often found inspiration in art, travels, and interiors, and in the dialogue between these creative expressions, he found the shapes, materials, and colours for his fashion collections. 

Musée Yves Saint Laurent exhibits the couturier’s body of work on the premises of his former haute couture house, at 5 avenue Marceau. Here, the visitor can see Saint Laurent’s office, where he worked on his designs. There are also temporary exhibitions, thematically organised.

Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris

Paris, France