By Eric Harris
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| Orange County Museum of Art (OCMA) unveils the U.S. premiere of Yves Saint Laurent: Line and Expression in Costa Mesa, California on June 27, 2024. All pictures by Eric Harris / TTDILA. |
The Orange County Museum of Art (OCMA) is currently hosting the U.S. premiere of Yves Saint Laurent: Line and Expression, which runs from July 3 to October 27, 2024. This exhibit, curated by Olivier Saillard and Gaël Mamine and co-organized by the Musée Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech and Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris, features sketches, haute couture garments, jewelry, and posters, and is an exploration of the French fashion designer's illustrative work that has significantly influenced modern fashion.
The exhibition consists of five galleries and includes examples from Yves Saint Laurent’s most famous styles that span his four-decade career such as his evening dresses, Pop Art cocktail dresses, Ballet Russes peasant dresses, and menswear tuxedo-inspired Le Smokings.
Saint Laurent's approach to fashion design was somewhat unusual among couturiers of his era because of his reliance on the art of illustration. Unlike his predecessors and contemporaries who primarily used fabric draping as their creative process, Saint Laurent made drawing an integral part of his design methodology. Saint Laurent would begin with a sketch, sometimes little more than scribbles in pencil on paper, which would then be translated into a finished work through an elaborate process involving illustrators, workshops, dressmakers, seamstress, and models. The “Swan Dress” (HC1988E112), on display in the opening gallery, and detailed below, is a particularly striking example of a preparatory drawing and completed garment.
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| Sketch for a floor-length evening dress Spring-summer 1988 haute couture collection, n 122. Graphite pencil on paper. HC1988E112CR |
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| Silk crepe floor-length evening dress; sequin-embroidered dove Spring-summer 1988 haute couture collection, n 122. Prototype, HC1988E112 |
More than 100 drawings, including sketchbooks and collection boards are part of the exhibit.
While Yves Saint Laurent: Line and Expression is ostensibly focused on the drawing aspect of Saint Laurent’s creative process, the 47 haute couture dresses, ensembles, and other outfits on display are the actual stars of the show. These garments are displayed in three groups — menswear-inspired garments, black (and mostly black) evening dresses, and colorful evening dresses.
The menswear-inspired group contains seven garments that share a common design heritage dating back to 1966 when Yves Saint Laurent introduced his Le Smoking pantsuit inspired by the male tuxedo which traces its origins to a jacket worn over a man’s clothing to protect the wearer from the odor of tobacco smoke.
The black evening dress group contains 21 examples of elegant evening dresses released between 1979 and 2002. The core Yves Saint Laurent style elements are timeless, and many dresses could be worn at formal events today and the wearer would not necessarily look out of place — which is impressive because the oldest dresses in this group are 45 years old.
The third group of garments is a collection of colorful dresses and ensembles released primarily during the 1980s and is my personal favorite part of the exhibit. While the two other groups of garments have aged fairly well from a style perspective, this group has not, and the color palettes and style elements appear distinctly alien and seem like costume pieces from a distant future (or past?).
Despite being out of fashion, these garments are among Yves Saint Laurent’s absolute best works and have been executed with a phenomenal level of detail. Saint Laurent is credited with creating the big shoulder look of the 1980s and many of the distinctive fashion features of that era are present, such as extravagant silhouettes, dramatic details (e.g., oversize bows, ruffles, and shoulder straps), and opulent fabrics. He doesn’t let you forget that in 1987 the sexiest part of a woman’s body was a broad set of shoulders!
The final part of the exhibition is a gallery of greeting cards in poster form that Yves Saint Lauren would produce almost every year between 1970 and 2007. Each card featured the word “love” and heralded the coming of a new creative year.
Yves Saint Laurent: Line and Expression is a must-visit for anyone interested in the world of haute couture and modern art. One of the more intriguing aspects of the exhibition is the overall 1980s feel. Art directors, historians, and design, theater and costume professionals will find this exhibit particularly fascinating as the detailing of the finished garments is exquisite and the physical appearance of garments renders very different across mediums and in-person.
There is also history with Yves Saint Laurent and the city of Costa Mesa because in 1982, Yves Saint Laurent was one of the first internationally significant fashion brands to take residence in the nearby South Coast Plaza shopping mall, which is now the biggest shopping mall on the West Coast.
The Orange County Museum of Art is always worth a visit. Check out Things To Do In LA’s previous coverage of the grand opening for OCMA’s new building here. General admission is free, and the museum is conveniently located for most of Orange County. The best way to experience OCMA is as an add-on while shopping in the area, attending shows at adjacent Segerstrom Center for the Arts, or traveling to-or-from John Wayne Airport.
LOCATION
OCMA / Orange County Museum of Art
3333 Avenue of the Arts
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
CONTACT
(714) 780-2130
[email protected]
MUSEUM HOURS
Wednesday–Sunday 11am–6pm
Free General Admission
