Yves Saint Laurent - Profile

This fashion profile video takes a look at Yves Saint Laurent and how the fashion line started and where it is now.

Leila: Hi and welcome to watchmojo.com. I’m your host Leila. I just have the opportunity of talking to expert in 20th century fashion, Florence Muller, to discuss Yves Saint Laurent whose innovative style brought us true timeless classics. Would you like to tell us how this exposition is structured? Florence Muller: Well, for many themes, many subthemes. The first one is where we are now and it’s like, well, let’s say like the fundament of the Yves Saint Laurent style and there are many aspects of these fundaments that are exhibited. Leila: How did Yves Saint Laurent combined feminized versions of men attire with seductive apparel? Florence Muller: He has started his career when women were beginning to have a new role in society. From the 60’s, they started to have a real role in society. For this, they needed to have a special kind of outfit, you know, to play this new role. Design of masculine type suit was really perfect. You know jackets with pants for everyday but Yves Saint Laurent has brought into this new idea something else. He said, it’s not because you are playing a new role in society that you have to play like men. You are women and you need to stay feminine and for this he has dropped some details for example, the blouse, you know, the romantic blouse in silk chiffon. Leila: Today, we know that there are some ready to wear creations like Rive Gauche. Do you want to tell us a little bit about these lines and their relation to Yves Saint Laurent himself as opposed to his haute couture rare pieces that are in like museums? Florence Muller: Yes. The name has been sold to the Gucci group and it’s Stefano Pilati who is the artistic director of this activity which is ready to wear. He tries to keep a link with Yves Saint Laurent style. Leila: What significant role did art; literature and history play in Yves Saint Laurent’s work? Florence Muller: Yves Saint Laurent is a man of culture. The inspiration taken from Matisse—and of course some quotation about jump of toy you know, his friend. Also Apolinair, Aragon, Shakespeare. Leila: What was Yves Saint Laurent’s relation to the House of Christian Dior? Florence Muller: The great thing about Yves Saint Laurent is that he started at Christian Dior and Christian Dior was not just any of a couture house. It was very old couture house. It was like the symbol of the old couture around the world and then there, he has really learned how to do the best, the most beautiful work on garments. This technique, you know this absolute sophisticated technique of old couture. But he was very young, as you know, when he started and he had already foot, as we say, a foot in the future, you know, in the 60’s and we can say that Yves Saint Laurent has been influenced by what was happening in the street but also he was inspiring the street wear. You know, it’s a movement in two ways. Leila: Thank you so much for your time and all your information. It’s a pleasure to talk to you. Florence Muller: Thank you.