So my boss sent me back to Les Arts Decoratifs to see the Mode et Textile exhibit and the Galarie des bijoux. She claimed that I missed the magic of the museum- SHE WAS SO RIGHT!
First, I found myself back in Yves dressing room! They had his stuff first on account of his exposition across the Tuileries. The rest of exhibit spanned from 1960s to 1980s in haute-couture. Each designer had a display, presentation of their runway shows, and a storyboard. The haute-couture designs were incroyable! A little costume-y, a lot over the top, but seamlessly fanatastic. Well, except for the fur coat made out of stuffed animals- that was just weird. Some of the big names:
Yves Saint Laurent, Sonia Rykiel, Chloé par Karl Lagerfeld, Kenzo, Thierry Mugler, Comme des Garçons, Chanel par Karl Lagerfeld, Christian Lacroix, Jean Paul Gaultier
My favorite part was the dozens of Parisian fashion students sitting around sketching all of the outfits. They were amazing! I also noticed that the museum holds classes for kids, ages 4-18, to learn about the designers- no wonder everyone here is a fashionista! I read some of the signs and learned that the designers in the 60s wanted to break the traditional molds of fashion for women, in the 70s shake away the barriers between masculine clothes and powerful feminine clothes, and then they just went nuts in the 80s and designed to shock.
After, I headed to the Galarie des Bijoux, Jewelry Gallery, to check out some sparkle. The jewelry is displayed in a completely dark room and is mounted to appear to be floating and glistening in the light. One wall has boxes of jewelry grouped by material such as; plastic, gold, pearl, coral, etc. I left thinking how absolutely fabulous it would be to adorned in haute-couture, lavish diamonds, and walking down Rue de Rivoli.
Affichage des articles dont le libellé est Yves Saint Laurent. Afficher tous les articles
Affichage des articles dont le libellé est Yves Saint Laurent. Afficher tous les articles
samedi 24 avril 2010
lundi 19 avril 2010
Petit Palais: Yves St. Laurent
Le Petit Palais, across from the Grand Palais, is also a giant exposition hall and from March 11th to August 29th, it is housing the Yves Saint Laurent exhibit. I’ve been holding out to go because there is always a 2 hour wait to get it. I figured that after a few weeks it would die down, but my boss encouraged me to go as soon as I could before tourism kicked up in Spring. So Danielle and I woke up early on weekday morning at arrived at the Petit Palais at 9:30am! It opened at 10am, but we still waited until 10:30 to be let in. The Parisians keep a close count on how many people are allowed to view an exhibit at a certain time, which makes for long lines but very pleasant view experiences.
The exhibit was nothing short of extraordinary. There were signs and films that explained his life, motivation, and all of the people that he worked with. Then there were the clothes- so many of his designs!! They were all on mannequins and grouped according to style and time period. They included his best designs- along with his worst. They grouped some by countries and cultures that he was inspired by, and some were grouped by art movement! Danielle and I guessed them all!!
They had a room of gowns; extravagant, gorgeous, stunning gowns. All of the mannequins were wearing earrings and jewelry as well.
My favorite room was the Smoking Room, which was actually a wall. It was a black wall, with almost shelves of standing black mannequins wearing his lines of tuxedo inspired designs. Black on black on black. At their feet, there was a light which singed orange like the tip of a cigarette. He called his tuxedo designs “smoking” because of their color and status.
The last room was also magnificent, with three solid colored dresses and dozens of color fabric swatches. The colors were vibrant and inspired by his trip to Morocco.
We very dizzy with luxury when we left, so we headed to Chanel to find the staircase that she used to model on. According to Danielle (and I trust this), the mirrors along the staircase allowed Chanel to walk down in her gown and catch the reflection of everyone’s faces at the bottom of the stairs. She could tell whether a design was good or bad based off their reactions. We had to go to two Chanel stores before we found the staircase, and of course, no photos allowed in Chanel- so we had a fun time feeling fabulous. We even stopped for macarons at Laduree. I got the chocolate passion fruit and caramel and she got chocolate raspberry and chocolate-chocolate. I’m still not in love with macarons, my heart only has room for chocolate, but when macarons are good- they are really good! (But when they are eh or OK, they are quite terrible.) So sadly I’ll be leaving macarons, Yves, and Chanel in Paris sans photos; but I’ll keep my memories and this blog!
The exhibit was nothing short of extraordinary. There were signs and films that explained his life, motivation, and all of the people that he worked with. Then there were the clothes- so many of his designs!! They were all on mannequins and grouped according to style and time period. They included his best designs- along with his worst. They grouped some by countries and cultures that he was inspired by, and some were grouped by art movement! Danielle and I guessed them all!!
They had a room of gowns; extravagant, gorgeous, stunning gowns. All of the mannequins were wearing earrings and jewelry as well.
My favorite room was the Smoking Room, which was actually a wall. It was a black wall, with almost shelves of standing black mannequins wearing his lines of tuxedo inspired designs. Black on black on black. At their feet, there was a light which singed orange like the tip of a cigarette. He called his tuxedo designs “smoking” because of their color and status.
The last room was also magnificent, with three solid colored dresses and dozens of color fabric swatches. The colors were vibrant and inspired by his trip to Morocco.
We very dizzy with luxury when we left, so we headed to Chanel to find the staircase that she used to model on. According to Danielle (and I trust this), the mirrors along the staircase allowed Chanel to walk down in her gown and catch the reflection of everyone’s faces at the bottom of the stairs. She could tell whether a design was good or bad based off their reactions. We had to go to two Chanel stores before we found the staircase, and of course, no photos allowed in Chanel- so we had a fun time feeling fabulous. We even stopped for macarons at Laduree. I got the chocolate passion fruit and caramel and she got chocolate raspberry and chocolate-chocolate. I’m still not in love with macarons, my heart only has room for chocolate, but when macarons are good- they are really good! (But when they are eh or OK, they are quite terrible.) So sadly I’ll be leaving macarons, Yves, and Chanel in Paris sans photos; but I’ll keep my memories and this blog!
lundi 12 avril 2010
Yves St. Laurent
The talk of the town is the Yves Saint Laurent exposition at the Petit Palais. It is the largest collection of his designs mixed with the wonderful story of his life and inspirations. The line to get it is always at least 2 hours, no matter what time of day. So a few weeks into the exposition, Danielle and I show up at 9:30am on a weekday morning (doors open @10am) to secure a spot in line. We made it passed the guard about an hour later and snagged free tickets to the exposition (thanks Student Art ID!).
From the moment you walk in, you are surrounded by mannequins dripping in haute couture. They lead you through his earliest designs, classic suits, and magically giving women a waistline. He takes some big risks early in his career and receives a lot of criticism, but hey- it kept his designs in the press and his name on the tip of the fashion world’s tongue. As his designs develop, he uses Impressionist, Cubism , and Modern art as inspiration. I could actually identify the inspiring art through Yves’ designs. They group his ethnic inspired designs into one large room, displays everything from kimonos to African head dresses. Then the exposition twirls into over-the-top lavish gowns and The Smoking Room. Smoking is referring to his line of women’s tuxedo jackets. The Smoking Room is a floor to ceiling black wall with black mannequins adorned in every Yves Smoking tuxedo invented. They stand on black platforms and are lit up by tiny orange light bulbs, reminding me of cigarettes. It is honestly the most impressive display of couture that I’ve seen in Paris. The simplicity, flow, and beauty of his designs was perfectly captured in the Petit Palais exposition. Even to the very end—where they whisk you away with solid, colorful floaty dresses and gorgeous silk fabric displays.
As to not end our lavish afternoon, Danielle and I walked around the 1st Arrondisement and stopped in for Laduree macarons.
Yves designs are not only found at the Petit Palais, but also at Les Arts Decoratifs. In their hidden wing, Mode & Textile, you can find couture from every big name French designer. This exposition isn't as grand as the Petit Palais, however it's much more manageable and a bit off the beaten path. Fashion design students can often be found sketching after the famous designers. It is also located in the neglected wings of the Louvre building, between the Tuileries and Rue de Rivoli
Les Arts Décoratifs - Mode et textile
107, rue de Rivoli
75001 Paris
From the moment you walk in, you are surrounded by mannequins dripping in haute couture. They lead you through his earliest designs, classic suits, and magically giving women a waistline. He takes some big risks early in his career and receives a lot of criticism, but hey- it kept his designs in the press and his name on the tip of the fashion world’s tongue. As his designs develop, he uses Impressionist, Cubism , and Modern art as inspiration. I could actually identify the inspiring art through Yves’ designs. They group his ethnic inspired designs into one large room, displays everything from kimonos to African head dresses. Then the exposition twirls into over-the-top lavish gowns and The Smoking Room. Smoking is referring to his line of women’s tuxedo jackets. The Smoking Room is a floor to ceiling black wall with black mannequins adorned in every Yves Smoking tuxedo invented. They stand on black platforms and are lit up by tiny orange light bulbs, reminding me of cigarettes. It is honestly the most impressive display of couture that I’ve seen in Paris. The simplicity, flow, and beauty of his designs was perfectly captured in the Petit Palais exposition. Even to the very end—where they whisk you away with solid, colorful floaty dresses and gorgeous silk fabric displays.
As to not end our lavish afternoon, Danielle and I walked around the 1st Arrondisement and stopped in for Laduree macarons.
Yves designs are not only found at the Petit Palais, but also at Les Arts Decoratifs. In their hidden wing, Mode & Textile, you can find couture from every big name French designer. This exposition isn't as grand as the Petit Palais, however it's much more manageable and a bit off the beaten path. Fashion design students can often be found sketching after the famous designers. It is also located in the neglected wings of the Louvre building, between the Tuileries and Rue de Rivoli
Les Arts Décoratifs - Mode et textile
107, rue de Rivoli
75001 Paris
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