Farid Chenoune

By far, this is the most comprehensive illustrated history of Yves Saint Laurent that I've read thus far, and it is definitely a key addition to any fashion history collection. The focus is clearly on the fashion that Saint Laurent created, rather than his personal life of the work done by subsequent heads of the fashion house, and it is thus made clear how the innovations of Saint Laurent changed the course of modern fashion. I would have liked to see a chapter on modern reinventions of the show more Saint Laurent style (such as the sculpted pieces seen in McQueen's work that clearkly reference similar methods from Saint Laurent's catalogue), but overall I thought that the book was very well crafted. The short sections dedicated to Saint Laurent's favourite colours (that contain a quote and examples of his work) were my favourite, because they gave readers a break in between the narrative chapters and showcased the focus on colour that Saint Laurent employed. show less

Yves Saint Laurent, the first comprehensive retrospective of his life’s work, will accompany an exhibition of some 250 garments from the collection of the Fondation Pierre Bergé–Yves Saint Laurent at the Petit Palais in Paris.