The Yves Saint Laurent Museum has a new exhibition exploring one of the clothes designer’s main themes – flowers, part of his love of nature and also a name (‘les fleurs’) he used to call his models…

With over thirty creations on display, this new exhibition is presented much like a book, with each chapter illustrated with a quote from Proust (A la recherche du temps perdu was one of Saint Laurent’s favourite books) juxtaposed with the relevant dresses.

Through the choice of styles and flowers, the designer’s intention is evident – roses for love, wheat for good luck, lily of the valley in homage to Dior…

And in collaboration with the Abraham fabric manufacturer, Saint Laurent was able to create exclusive silk prints inspired by Matisse or Moroccan bougainvillea, creating stunning dresses with them…

Among other themes, the exhibition spotlights one particular event, an important ball held in 1957 called le Bal des têtes (literally, the Head Ball), thrown on the île Saint-Louis in the centre of Paris by Baron Alexis de Rédé, for which guests were invited to dress with “a special head” meaning a mask or headpiece. Young Yves Saint Laurent (at that time 21 years old and Christian Dior’s assistant) designed a number of creations using feathers, flowers and leaves.

The photos and sketches of these already show the promise of his burgeoning talent.

To give the exhibition a contemporary touch while keeping to the flower theme, American artist Sam Falls is showing some semi-abstract paintings mostly created outdoors with pigments that change when subjected to the climactic conditions.

And if you’d like to read more about the subject at your leisure, the official catalogue of the exhibition is available in an English edition (184 pages, around 39€) here at your local Amazon.

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The exhibition The Flowers of Yves Saint Laurent is at the Yves Saint Laurent Museum (here) until 4th May 2025

Open every day except mondays from 11am-6pm (9pm Thursdays)

Admission: 10€ / 7€

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Une publication partagée par Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris (@museeyslparis)