Saint Laurent was often ahead of the game: his Mondrian collection came out to rave reviews in 1965, four years before the Dutch artist, who died in 1944, had his first career retrospective at the Orangerie Museum. Head across town to the Centre Pompidou, France's mecca for modern art, and you find a very different Saint Laurent on display.ĭresses in the abstract styles of Piet Mondrian, Sonia Delaunay and US pop artists hang alongside the portraits that inspired them. The Louvre is one of six museums taking part in the unique collaboration to mark 60 years since the designer's first catwalk show, when he was 26. In the Apollo Gallery of the Louvre, alongside the crowns and jewels of French kings and queens, the almost absurdly ornate "Versailles jacket" covered in gold leaves and rock crystals, looks perfectly at home. These classic pieces included cashmere turtlenecks, matching cardigans, Ultrasuede jackets, and trim trousers, which reflected Halston’s own subtly unisex style."I am utterly eclectic," the designer once said, and the point is proven by how easily his clothes fit into museums covering very different eras and artistic styles. Likewise, menswear informed many of Halston’s best-known designs, including his most famous garment, the Ultrasuede shirtwaist dress. He played on different archetypes including the pinstripe “gangster” suit, safari jacket, and utilitarian jumpsuit throughout the decade to create looks that have become synonymous with a Saint Laurent style. ![]() After the debut of his Le Smoking woman’s tuxedo in 1966, Saint Laurent’s experimentation with menswear reached a zenith in the 1970s. The first section in the exhibition demonstrates how Saint Laurent and Halston drew on menswear when creating clothing for women. Sandwiched between the counterculture 1960s and the opulent 1980s, it was a period of change in fashion, with haute couture giving way to designer-led conglomerates and a mix of the eclectic with the somber, reflecting the mood of individual expression along with a souring economic environment. The seventies was a defining decade in fashion. These include Lauren Bacall, Marina Schiano, Aimée de Heeren, Mary Russell, and Tina Chow. The museum’s collections hold the Halston archives-the most comprehensive records of his work in the world-as well as a vast array of significant Yves Saint Laurent pieces donated by important clients, fashion editors, friends, and colleagues of Saint Laurent. Both designers are equally represented by the approximately 80 ensembles and 20 accessories that are arranged thematically in an environment designed to evoke the style of this singular, dynamic era in history. The exhibit features original pieces by both designers, and examines specifically the way they dealt with similar themes and aesthetics during the height of their careers. It celebrates the two designers who defined the sexy and glamorous fashions of the 1970s Yves Saint Laurent and Halston. ![]() With the insurgence of 70s styles being reinvented for the runway recently, the current exhibit at the Fashion Institute of Technology’s Museum seems fitting. Yves Saint Laurent + Halston: “Fashioning the 70s”įIT Museum, 7th Ave at 27 Street, New York City
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