All photos courtesy of International Center of Photography.
Yves Saint Laurent knew that his designs, without the right photography, were nothing. For the storied couturier, images went beyond simple advertisement. They were a means of defining the world that his clothing inhabited and signaling to his customers that they were speaking the same aesthetic language.
With its new exhibit Yves Saint Laurent and Photography, the International Center of Photography seeks to highlight the centrality of this medium in the designer’s creative process, displaying over 300 photographs and archival materials from the past four decades, including works by Andy Warhol, Irving Penn, and Annie Leibovitz. The exhibition—which was put together as a collaboration between the Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris and the Fondation Pierre Bergé-Yves Saint Laurent—ranges from sly and stoic portraits of Yves Saint Laurent himself to editorials filled with colorful cocktail dresses bursting with life. The designer’s use of photography marked a stark shift in fashion standards, the ramifications of which are still being felt today.
Yves Saint Laurent and Photography is now on view through September 28th, with a selection of works from the exhibit shown below.
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Irving Penn, Yves Saint Laurent, Paris, 1957 © The Irving Penn Foundation
Harry Meerson, Yves Saint Laurent, 1966 © Harry Meerson.
Dominique Issermann, Evening dress from the Fall/Winter 1984 haute couture collection. Published in Vogue, November 1984 © Dominique Issermann © Yves Saint Laurent.
James Moore, Models from the Spring/Summer 1966 haute couture collection. Published in Harper’s Bazaar, March 1966 © James Moore © Yves Saint Laurent.
Ensemble worn by Edia Vairelli, Haute Couture Spring/Summer 1982 collection, 5 Avenue Marceau, Paris, January 1982. Polaroid by fashion house staff © All rights reserved © Yves Saint Laurent.
Tailored suit worn by Anna Karin, Haute Couture Autumn/Winter 1991 collection, 5 Avenue Marceau, Paris, July 1991. Polaroid by fashion house staff © All rights reserved © Yves Saint Laurent.
Jean-Claude Sauer, Cocktail dresses known as “Homage to Pop Art,” Fall/Winter 1966 haute couture collection. Published in LIFE magazine, September 1966 © All rights reserved © Jean-Claude Sauer.
Peter Knapp, Cocktail dress from the Fall/Winter 1965 haute couture collection, also known as the “Tribute to Piet Mondrian.” Published in ELLE, September 1965 © Peter Knapp / ELLE France © Yves Saint Laurent © Jeanne Lanvin-Castillo.
Arthur Elgort, Wedding dress worn by Mounia Orosemane, accompanied by a page girl and page boy, Fall/Winter 1981 haute couture collection. Published in Vogue Paris, September 1981 © Arthur Elgort © Yves Saint Laurent.
Helmut Newton, Rue Aubriot, Pantsuit worn by Vibeke Knudsen, Fall/Winter 1975 haute couture collection. Published in Vogue Paris, September 1975 © Helmut Newton Foundation, courtesy Helmut Newton Foundation and Fondation Pierre Bergé – Yves Saint Laurent.
Gian Paolo Barbieri, Creations from the Spring/Summer 1988 SAINT LAURENT rive gauche collection worn by Christy Turlington and Naomi Campbell. Images used for the catalog of the collection © Gian Paolo Barbieri, Courtesy Fondazione Gian Paolo Barbieri © Yves Saint Laurent.
