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As the sobriquet the “King of Fashion” suggests, Yves Saint Laurent was a dominant figure in the world of 20th century fashion.

Following the sudden death of Christian Dior, in 1958 Yves Saint Laurent made his brilliant debut as a designer at the House of Dior. In 1962, he launched his own brand, Yves Saint Laurent. From then until his retirement in 2002, Yves Saint Laurent remained at the forefront of the international fashion scene and revolutionized women’s clothing for nearly half a century by establishing safari looks, pants suits, pea coats, and trench coats.

This exhibition, organized with the full cooperation of the Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris, marks the first retrospective of the designer’s works ever to be staged in Japan after his death. The exhibition presents a comprehensive overview of Yves Saint Laurent’s work, throughout his 40-year career, from his debut at the tender age of 21 and the first collection that appeared under his own brand to the establishment of his own style, through 110 of the designer’s looks as well as accessories, drawings, and photographs in twelve chapters.

This is a rare opportunity to get up close and personal with the unrivaled and magnificent world of beauty that emerged from Yves Saint Laurent, one of the great talents of the second half of the 20th century.

Cocktail dress-Homage to Piet Mondrian
Cocktail dress-Homage to Piet Mondrian
Autumn-winter 1965 haute couture collection
Client’s piece-Atelier Blanche
Wool jersey
© Yves Saint Laurent © Alexandre Guirkinger
Evening ensemble Autumn-winter 1984 haute couture collection
Evening ensemble
Autumn-winter 1984 haute couture collection
Prototype-Ateliers Jean-Pierre and Frédérique
Embroidered silk velvet jacket; barathea pants; embroidered silk tulle top
© Yves Saint Laurent © Nicolas Mathéus
The Queen’s dress (Act I)
The Queen’s dress (Act I)
Design made for Geneviève Page for the play L’Aigle à deux têtes by Jean Cocteau, directed by Jean-Pierre Dusseaux at the Théâtre de l’Athénée-Louis Jouvet, Paris, 1978
Stamped silk velvet and cut silk velvet; passementerie
© Yves Saint Laurent © Sophie Carre
アンサンブル–ファーストピーコート 1962年春夏オートクチュールコレクション
Boating ensemble, first pea coat
Spring-summer 1962 haute couture collection
Client’s piece-Ateliers Georges and Palas
Wool pea coat; shantung blouse and pants
© Yves Saint Laurent © Alexandre Guirkinger
アンサンブル 1989年春夏オートクチュールコレクション
Ensemble
Spring-summer 1989 haute couture collection
Prototype-Atelier Gaby
Embroidered silk gazar cape; silk chiffon dress and belt
© Yves Saint Laurent © Alexandre Guirkinger

Exhibition Highlights

1 A Wealth of 262 Items Including
Dresses Never Before Shown in Japan

The exhibition paints a complete picture of Yves Saint Laurent’s life as a designer and his creations. The displays include 110 of the designer’s haute couture looks, encompassing the changes that occurred over Yves Saint Laurent’s more than 40-year career, from the time of his stunning debut at the House of Dior in 1958 to his retirement in 2002, as well as a host of valuable documents such as drawings, photographs, and videos.

Yves Saint Laurent, Anne-Marie Muñoz and Pierre Bergé in the studio, 5 avenue Marceau, 1977.
© Guy Marineau

2 Universal Women’s Styles
That Live on Today

Yves Saint Laurent designed garments that transcended gender images associated with clothing by, among other things, actively incorporating pants (a style that was still strongly rooted in men’s fashion in the 1960s) into women’s fashion, and creating a new kind of femininity and elegance that was in keeping with the times. In part due to becoming involved with prêt-à-porter (ready-to-wear) fashion in 1966, Yves Saint Laurent’s style propositions spread rapidly. With garments such as pea coats, pants suits, trench coats, and tuxedos, he garnered acclaim by modifying trailblazing forms of menswear into clothes for women. In this exhibition, we introduce Yves Saint Laurent’s universal styles, which today have become an established part of the female wardrobe.

Evening ensemble
Autumn-winter 1984 haute couture collection
Prototype-Ateliers Jean-Pierre and Frédérique
Embroidered silk velvet jacket; barathea pants; embroidered silk tulle top
© Yves Saint Laurent © Nicolas Mathéus

3 Establishing Art-inspired Styles

By envisioning a fusion of art and fashion, exemplified by his Mondrian look, Yves Saint Laurent breathed new life into the traditional world of haute couture while also actively engaging in collaborations with those in various fields of art, producing stage sets for theatre pieces, ballets, and other performing arts, and costumes for films. Yves Saint Laurent’s efforts to forge a link between art and haute couture led fashion to be afforded the same value as painting, sculpture, architecture, and other forms of art. It also resulted in vibrant, body-based fashions that were inspired by art.

“Les Iris” jacket from an evening ensemble-Homage to Vincent van Gogh
Spring-summer 1988 haute couture collection
Prototype-Atelier Jean-Pierre
Silk organza; embroidery
© Yves Saint Laurent © Alexandre Guirkinger

Ticket

Click here for official online tickets
https://www.e-tix.jp/ysl2023/en/

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https://www.klook.com/en-US/activity/93750/

Yves Saint Laurent, Across the Style

Date｜September 20 (Wed.) - December 11 (Mon.), 2023

Closed on Tuesdays

Opening Hours｜10:00～18:00

*10:00-20:00 on Fridays and Saturdays (Last admission 30 minutes before closing)

Venue｜The National Art Center, Tokyo / Special Exhibition Gallery 1E
7-22-2 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-8558
https://www.nact.jp/english/

Organaized by｜The National Art Center, Tokyo; The Sankei Shimbun; TBS; Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc.

In partnership with｜Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris

With the special sponsorship of｜SAINT LAURENT

With the support of｜Embassy of France / French Institute of Japan; BS-TBS; TBS RADIO

With the sponsorship of｜Sompo Holdings, Inc.; Nozaki Insatsu Shigyo Co., LTD.

With the cooperation of｜Japan Airlines

With the collaboration of｜ Ueki & Associés

Admission (tax included)｜Adults 2,300yen, College students 1,500yen, High school students 900yen

*Visitors who are junior high school students or younger will be admitted for free.
*Disabled persons (along with the one assistant) will be admitted for free upon presenting the Disabled Person’s Booklet or an equivalent form of government-issued ID.
*Free entrance to the exhibition for high school students from October 7 (Sat.) to October 9 (Mon.), 2023, upon presenting student ID.
*No reservation required for this exhibition.

Inquiries｜(+81)47-316-2772 (Hello Dial)