I just got back from seeing the Yves Saint Laurent The Perfection of Style exhibition at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, VA. It was well worth the ticket price and the drive. Oh my goodness, a chance to see over 100 of his works of art (and they are art) from his haute couture collections and his Rive Gauche, the ready-to-wear line that started in 1966.
What was particularly fascinating are the Collection Boards, which are records for each collection with information about each garment. Only two per collection are shown at the exhibition...which is fantastic! The drawings are Yves St Laurent's own sketches, and some have notes about which company (house) was doing the specialty embroidery, furs, etc. The name of the model who will wear the design is on the Board and the large red number is the reference number for that particular garment within the particular collection. Here's an example of one.
I noticed this Collection Board right away because of the silk ribbons in so many colors on the right hand side.
And here is the dress that matches the ribbons on the the board: it's a wedding dress from the Autumn-Winter 1970 haute couture collection (Number 12 in the Runway Checklist that your receive when you take the tour). It's a multicolored silk velvet coat with applique letters forming the words LOVE ME FOREVER on the front. and OR NEVER on the back with heart, stars and cloud in multicolored silk satin. Quite a statement for a wedding gown!
The exhibition opened on 6 May and will continue until Aug 27, 2017, at the Museum. Tickets are available online at
the VMFA website and are "timed" tickets (you select what time you want to start). Allow at least two hours at the exhibit, then plan to have a meal on the 3rd floor at the Amuse Restaurant. Be sure to make reservations at the restaurant as it is very popular. More to come in later posts....
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