Yves Saint Laurent

If you haven’t noticed, I rarely if ever talk about my professional career on my blog but we had a client event last week for the Yves Saint Laurent (YSL) exhibition that I would love to share. 

(Clockwise from top left: intricate bead and applique work / entrance to exhibit / our champagne and gift table / baubles for each guest to wear / the amazing color swatches / beautiful red-carpet dresses / a co-worker and I / our catwalk picture station)

For those who do not know, the designer’s 40 years of work have been compiled into 200 haute couture garments that have been on display in Europe… until now.  The Yves Saint Laurent: The Retrospective has come to Denver… the only stop in the entire US before it heads back to Europe.  You would think New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco or some other super-hot city in the fashion world would be bringing this ultra-exclusive show to the States but no, it’s Denver, CO!

I work in marketing and advertising and my company hosted a private viewing of the YSL exhibit along with a cocktail party for our buyers and advertisers.  The event was so chic and cool… bubbles and baubles, fashion, makeup touch ups by celebrity red-carpet makeup artists, fashion, food, a runway with paparazzo and did I mention, Fashion! 

To see all the intricate details of the seamanship, the designer’s creative process, his work while at Dior in the late 1950’s and then the absolutely stunning evening gowns from the early 2000’s was simply breathtaking.  I seriously spent at least 10 minutes staring at just one mustard bolero jacket that had thousands of hand-beaded appliques and stones that adorned it.  Another room had at least 20 different black and white suits on mannequins that were arranged in rows on a wall over 50 feet in the air. 

The best part of the event was seeing the appreciation that everyone had for the work he did.  Even those who are not big into fashion were impressed by the magnitude of his work and how relevant his designs are in present day.  Honestly, 90% of the pieces on display could be seen on a runway for Fashion Week, on a socialite in NYC or in a window display at Nieman Marcus. 

His work is iconic, resilient and timeless and I am so happy that I got to see it in person.