YSL at Denver Art Museum

Just got a sneak peek of the Yves Saint Laurent retrospective exhibit at the Denver Art Museum. The exhibit first showed in Paris but is now in Denver in its only US showing. The exhibit opens this weekend (Saturday for members, then for everyone, running thru July 8) It's an impressive show of something like 200+ pieces, from his safari jacket, "le smoking" (tuxedos), pant suits, to designs inspired by his travels around the world.

Getting in to the exhibit costs extra, which might turn off non fashion fans. But on the second floor of DAM's Hamilton building, the museum has placed a large movie screen next to the elevators showing YSL's last fashion show to lure you in to see more! The runway show is a good preview of what you'll see inside, or if you don't watch the film until your way out, you can see how the pieces from the exhibit move on live models on the runway.

When you enter the exhibit, there's a dark hall with text to set the scene. Lighting throughout is fairly dim to preserve the clothes. There are also short videos. One of the first designs on display is his feminine take on the leather jacket.

Next, a few examples of the trapeze, swing design (rather than dresses with emphasized waists). There's a replica of his studio, then a line of mannequins showing off pant suits, the safari jacket, the mix of feminine and masculine. There's also a short video setting the mood of the '60s, with women being more independent, taking charge, and with Yves Saint Laurent saying he wants to change women's attitudes with his clothes.

There's a selection of dresses worn by celebrities including Paloma Picasso and the Princess of Monaco. You can see sketches and a short animated film of la vilaine Lulu (naughty Lulu), a character he dreamt up in his early days at Dior, plus examples of the risks he took with sheer dresses/tops. Do you remember ever seeing nude photos of YSL for an ad campaign? Shots from that photo shoot are in the exhibit.


There are also dresses showing influences of Morocco, Africa (animal prints and feathers), Japan.

A movie room has a short film with an interview with YSL himself and Pierre Berge.

The next room has examples of dresses and jackets inspired by art. Take a look and see if you can spot the influences, from Matisse to Mondrian to Van Gogh and others. The short white wedding dress with doves on it is here too.

One room is devoted to Catherine Deneuve, who wore his clothes in film and on the street. You can see sketches of what he designed and then watch clips from "Belle du Jour," where she's wearing one of his coats, for example.

The last room is quite impressive, with a wall of mannequins from floor to ceiling wearing the variations of tuxedo designs (tuxedo with shorts, dress versions, bolero tuxedo, and on and on). Then there is a tiered sort of red carpet area with all sorts of glamorous party dresses. The finale is the dress with the big pink bow in back that appeared in a perfume ad.

It's a fascinating look at the creativity of a designer who took risks and had women looking at fashion and themselves in a different way. What designers today do you think do the same thing?

Tickets for the YSL exhibit are timed and are $14 for members or $22 for nonmembers, with the tix also getting you in to the rest of the museum. On the first floor of the museum is a "fashion studio" where you can get a chance to do what designers do and drape a dress form, talk to a local fashion designer about their process, or walk a runway. The museum store meanwhile has stocked several YSL postcards, books, bookmarks, notebooks, mugs, tote bags, etc. And it's also showcasing clothes and hats from different designers, which is new for the museum.

This exhibit is kind of a big deal for the museum, but then in October, there will be the big Van Gogh exhibit, so busy times for DAM!