This month I visited the International Center of Photography again, this time for Yves Saint Laurent & Photography.
“One of the most photographed couturiers of all time, Yves Saint Laurent recognized the talent of the great image makers of the twentieth century, fashion specialists and otherwise: Richard Avedon, David Bailey, Cecil Beaton, Guy Bourdin, Robert Doisneau, Horst P. Horst, Dominique Issermann, Jacques Henri Lartigue, Harry Meerson, Sarah Moon, David Seidner, and Jeanloup Sieff among them. [This exhibition] demonstrates the unique relationship that the designer had with the medium and with these photographers, exploring the history of fashion as much as that of photography.”
The collection of photographs on display in the first part of the exhibition, both of the designer himself and his creations, were fascinating. My only previous exposure into this particular realm was by way of studying Richard Avedon’s work in college and being routinely presented with his renowned portrait Dovima with Elephants (1955). In the iconic photo, Dovima wears a Dior dress, the first design for the fashion house by then 19-year-old Yves Saint Laurent. Having seen that image so many times, I became blind to its significance in the worlds of both fashion and fashion photography.
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| Richard Avedon | Dovima with Elephants, 1955 Published in Harper's Bazaar, October 1955 |
Many of the photographs were by photographers whose names were known to me, some who I have studied extensively, but these photographs were largely new to me. (Apologies in advance for inconsistent lighting and any cast shadows.)
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| David Seidner | Evening Dress worn by Ana Cristina, Fall/Winter 1993 Published in L'Officiel de la couture et de la mode de Paris, September 1993 |
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| Helmut Newton | Rue Aubriot, Paris, 1975 Pantsuit worn by Vibeke Knudsen, Fall/Winter 1975 haute couture collection Published in Vogue Paris, September 1975 |
The above portrait by Helmut Newton stopped me in my tracks. I have seen a lot of editorial fashion photography over the years - from keeping a scrapbook of ads pulled from magazines twenty years ago to considering a career in fashion photography - and very little has had this impact. Newton is of course known for his bold and provocative portraiture. But this one - the lighting, the pose, the clean lines, and the revolution of women in tailored masculine silhouettes initiated by YSL - all come together beautifully.
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| Bettina Rheims | Hats from the Spring/Summer 1982 haute couture collection at 5 avenue Marceau, Paris, 1982 |
Another striking image, so simple and yet so captivating. YSL regularly commissioned Bettina Rheims to photograph the fitting rooms at his couture house, as well as back stage at his runway shows.
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| Jean Larivière | Gilded hat Fall/Winter 1991 haute couture collection, Paris Published in Vogue Paris, October 1991 |
Larivière had a prolific and varied career in fashion photography, creating a portfolio both powerful and fantastical. Besides this being such a gorgeous portrait, I found myself coveting the hat.
Among the photographs on display were many portraits of Yves Saint Laurent himself, taken at many varying periods in his long and prolific career.
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| Irving Penn | Yves Saint Laurent, Paris, 1957 |
In 1946, Irving Penn began a major series of portraits for Vogue, including one of a young Yves Saint Laurent at the early stage of his career. Penn would go on to photograph YSL again twenty-six years later.
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| Jacques Henri Lartigue | Yves Saint Laurent and Catherine Deneuve, who wears an evening dress from the Spring/Summer 1976 haute couture collection Published in Vogue Paris, March 1976 |
Saint Laurent had a long friendship with the Catherine Deneuve, who was photographed dozens of times in his creations. Lartigue's work is a favorite of mine.
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| Irving Penn | Yves Saint Laurent, 1983 Image for the advertising campaign for Pour Homme cologne Published in Vogue, December 1983 |
The second section of the exhibition “trace[s] Yves Saint Laurent’s life and career by examining iconic images related to his collections and the inner workings of his couture house, personal photographs, and documentation of his designs for film, theater, and musical revues.” Vitrines were lined with fashion magazine editorial spreads of iconic designs, like YSL’s dresses known as “Homages to Mondrian” from the fall/winter 1965 haute couture collection. The bits and bobs of paraphernalia were fascinating.
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| Archibald Henry "Archie" Parker | Yves Saint Laurent on the balcony of his apartment, Place Vauban, Paris, 1959 |
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| Magazine spreads for Vogue Paris, the first iteration of the Mondrian dresses, and various other pioneering creations from the era |
"Fascinated by the paintings of Piet Mondrian, in 1965 he presented a collection that evoked the artist's geometric compositions. First in a long series of garments inspired by art history including Pop Art, these creations were immortalized by photographers such as Richard Avedon, David Bailey, Peter Knapp, and Irving Penn.
In 1966, at the dawn of the sexual revolution in France, Yves Saint Laurent's designs caused a sensation. The designer empowered women by liberating the female body and revealing it through his exploration of transparency. His first tuxedo-inspired Le Smoking suit upended the gendered codes of formal evening wear and was an overnight hit with the public."
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| Richard Avedon | Dress known as "Homage to Piet Mondrian" worn by Jean Shrimpton, Fall/Winter 1965 haute couture collection |
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| From left to right: Published in Vogue Paris (David Bailey), Vogue (Irving Penn), ELLE (Peter Knapp, and British Vogue (Irving Penn), September 1965 |
The landscape of fashion photography was very different in YSL’s early years in the industry. In a film playing on loop in the final section of the gallery, photographer Jean-Luce Huré reminisced about being the first photographer allowed to shoot a fashion show. Prior to this, photographers were not allowed due to fear of designs being copied by other houses. YSL helped to turn that notion of its head, inviting photographers to bear witness to the evolution of his creations and go behind the scenes at his runway shows.
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| Pierre Boulat | Yves Saint Laurent backstage at the first runway show under his name, 30 bis rue Spontini, Paris, 1962 Published in LIFE, April 1962 |
Organization during a runway show was paramount, and as early as 1968, Polaroids were taken to keep things orderly and running smoothly:
"Polaroids were essential for the smooth running of the couture house, serving as a memory aid by recording accessories and accompanying the garments backstage at the runway. An essential element of working documents, which were annotated with information necessary to identify garments (such as collection name, runway number, and model's first name), Polaroids also recorded the atmosphere that reigned during the electric weeks leading up to a collection's launch.
The first Polaroids preserved in the Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris were taken by Alexis Witzig to photograph full-length views of creations from the Spring/Summer 1968 collection. In the early 1980s, the taking of Polaroids became systematic; they continued to be employed in preparing every collection through 2002. In its archive, the museum preserves nearly 6,000 Polaroids as well as the last cameras used to take them."
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| Polaroids, spanning decades of shows by the couture house |
