WHO is YSL?

Other than the mispronunciation of his name, french designer Yves Saint Laurent is famous for being the successor of Mr. Dior and for his creative outlook on style throughout the eras. His iconic color blocking dress, white doves and statement pink bows are symbolic of his work, and allows admirers to be stunned by his creativity and originality. He is often quoted, for his words continue to inspire the fashion world: “Fashion fades, style is eternal”.

WHAT is the SAM exhibit?

The YSL exhibit, “The Perfection of Style”, attracts fashion lovers and artists to the Seattle Art Museum from October 11- January 8. The artfully constructed exhibit contains over 100 pieces of haute couture on display- from bold dresses, Chinese style garments to pea coats and large hats. Original drawings, sketches and photographs from 1936-2002 also cover the walls, while capturing trends from each era’s style. Film clips, paper dolls and other multimedia items allow an interactive experience for museum visitors. Delving deeper into the exhibit, a long hallway of YSL’s fabric selections are displayed in glass doors, which is like walking through a rainbow of colorful swatches. Prep student Anya Lewis ’17 shares her experience of her visit to the SAM: ”

WHY is YSL relevant today?

The answer is simple- Hillary Clinton would not be wearing her iconic pantsuit without St. Laurent’s design of “Le Smoking”. He changed fashion history by designing the controversial pantsuit: “When I introduced the pantsuit to the working woman, it caused quite a stir in America. In New York’s famous 21 Club, a woman wearing a pantsuit and a tunic was turned away. To be admitted to the dining room, she had to check her pants into the coat room and wear just a tunic- leaving her, in essence, in a mini dress”. Put in greater perspective, YSL played a crucial role in the art the long battle of telling women what they can and cannot wear. Clinton’s pantsuit has been called “unflattering” and “unfeminine” and is discriminatory to women by criticism of their appearance. St. Laurent challenged society’s traditional gender roles through his innovative designs in the 1960s.