Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Yves Saint Laurent at the Denver Art Museum, or How I Found My Way Back Home

When something traumatic happens, something so traumatic it steals away your creativity, it weighs on your passions, your love. It makes you feel down, depressed, and you begin to hate those things that you love. 

I'm sure those of you that know me wonder why I'm not singing about leaving for school. I've had to push it back. Maybe worse. I am not sure of my future. It's a financial issue. I've been depressed, lonely, and unhappy for a month now, attempting to find a way, but finding it to be impossible. I began to hate fashion. I began to look at magazines and I'd feel sick. I didn't care if Marc Jacobs was leaving Vuitton for Dior. I didn't care if Sarah Burton burned Alexander McQueen to the ground. And I didn't care that the Denver Art Museum was debuting the Yves Saint Laurent retrospective. But, I was dragged out there by my mother, thank God. 

For any good fashionista, walking into the exhibit is like Charlie walking into the Wonka Factory. It's set up superbly, beginning with a brief bio on him through the Dior years, and even through his replacement. We all need to be grateful that he was replaced. Using audio and visual interactions, the exhibit really draws the audience in. But be warned, there's a lot of information given. Designed to guide the audience from the least dramatic to the most, the exhibit builds excitement and tension. 

One of the first looks, this jumpsuit was fantastic. One of my favorite pieces, because it was tailored, but not overworked. 

But the most fantastic was the tuxedo and ball room. 

Here is a portion of the tuxedo wall. Using the tuxedo as inspiration, YSL created the female tuxedos, ranging from pants or skirt suits to dresses. Claiming, of course, that he wanted women to be comfortable, YSL allowed women the freedom to choose between pants and skirts. 


Then, juxtaposing the tuxedo wall, was the ballgown area. Here was the incredible gowns designed for high society or red carpet events. There were so many gowns, any woman could find one she'd love to wear. I found at least 7.


This was the final look. I found it truly inspirational, and I want a dress like this so badly. It was lovely, feminine and yet surprising, and, obviously, influential. Designers are still trying to recreate this gown. Usually it goes very poorly  (yes, Dior, I'm looking at you.) 

Overall, it was lovely, fantastic, and heartwarming. I was suddenly reminded of why I want to be in fashion, why I want to pursue my dreams in the industry. Sometimes, all you need is a little reminder of why you love something. Now, I need to find me a dress with a giant pink bow on the back. 

No comments:

Post a Comment