Yves Saint Laurent: Style [Paperback]

Foundation Pierre Berge - Yves Saint Laurent (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2008

In collaboration with Fondation Pierre Bergé–Yves Saint Laurent.

Yves Saint Laurent’s signature style intertwines references from the art world with those of popular culture and social revolution. Since its establishment in the 1960s by the designer and Pierre Bergé, the Yves Saint Laurent haute couture house has redefined femininity, creating arguably the most famous (and sexiest) suit for women, “Le Smoking” tuxedo, and innovative collections with names such as Pop Art, Ballet Russes, and Picasso.

 

This retrospective book is the first to cover the forty years of Yves Saint Laurent and highlights the inventive character of the designer’s work. Over 160 of his finest designs and accessories, all taken from the Fondation Pierre Bergé–Yves Saint Laurent collection, are presented. The book is the companion volume to an exhibition that will travel to The Montreal Museum of Fine Art and the de Young Museum in San Francisco.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

British-born Hamish Bowles is a fashion journalist, curator, and currently European editor-at-large for Vogue. He lives in New York City. Florence Müller is a historian, a correspondent for the magazine Surface, and a professor at Institut Français de la mode in Paris where she lives.

Product Details

• Paperback: 258 pages
• Publisher: Abrams; 1 edition (September 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810971208
• ISBN-13: 978-0810971202
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 0.9 x 10.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #194,788 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #69 in Books > Arts & Photography > Fashion > Designers

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Not a full retrospective, but an incredible look into the creative process February 1, 2011

By Jung Won Kim

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

It's been years since I've written a review on Amazon, but the reviews I've seen for this book have compelled me to write again.

The strengths - and weaknesses - of YSL Style become more apparent when compared to the other recent YSL book from the same publisher (Yves Saint Laurent), which has received more positive reviews. From this point on, I will refer to the two books as "YSL Style" (pink book) and "YSL" (black book).

The quality of the printing and paper for YSL Style is good but not as luxurious as YSL. If your sole criterion for deciding whether to purchase a book is based on its status as an object and collectible, then YSL is the clear choice over YSL Style. If you are more interested in the content, then read on, because the two books serve different purposes.

YSL Style contains a generous number of the designer's drawings, far more than I've seen in any other fashion book. It provides great insight into the creative process and the evolution of ideas not just of Saint Laurent himself but also more generally in the arts and design. In this regard, YSL Style is distinct from most fashion retrospectives, more introverted; the reader peeks into Saint Laurent's sketchbook. The view is of Saint Laurent as an artist, like a painter in working in a studio rather than a figure in the glamorous world of celebrity and commerce.

In many other ways, YSL Style likely falls short of YSL. The latter book shows much more final work, more photographs than drawings. It also better conveys the ways in which Saint Laurent's designs were received, in terms of fashion shows, media coverage, and how people wore his clothes. As a retrospective, YSL provides a 360-degree view, while YSL Style is more focused. Some readers may view this as a limitation of YSL Style. I found the proximity to the very spark of creativity to be exhilarating.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars As an introduction and overview, wonderful! February 9, 2009

By Chic Savage

Format:Paperback

Given the recent death of M. Yves Saint Laurent, one can only hope that this is but the first of many volumes to come devoted to this extraordinary talent. As an introduction to his Haute Couture and Rive Gauche collections this paperback volume is surprisingly jam-packed with good images and copies of his drawings.

For further reading and contemplation of M. Saint Laurent's work, I suggest the following titles, if you can find them. The first, is the exhibition catalogue published by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in conjunction with their 1983-84 exhibition. "Yves Saint Laurent", 1983, ASIN: B00188CAQU.

The second, is a beautiful volume entitled "Yves Saint Laurent: Images of Design 1958-1988", 1988, ASIN: B000ON4GCQ

For an insight into M. Saint Laurent's life and the process of Haute Couture, I recommend the marvelous DVD entitled "Yves Saint Laurent - His Life and Times/5 Avenue Marceau 75116 Paris", released in 2007 and available, as of this writing, here at AMAZON.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Franks February 10, 2009

By Fraunk

Format:Paperback

Went to see the display at the musuem at Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. Yves Saint Laurent: Style Then purchased the book. It was a good addition to the sight seeing and gives us great pleasure to review what we had seen.