Fashion 101: Yves Saint Laurent

It has been a while since my blog has mentioned anything about France now that I live in New York City. So for this lesson of Fashion 101 I wanted to feature a true legend to the fashion world, and France's own, Yves Saint Laurent.

As I just visited the Alexander McQueen Exhibition: Savage Beauty at The Met (don't worry that post is coming...and YES it was amazing), I was reminded of an equally great exhibit I had the honor of visiting last summer in Paris. That's right, I had so many posts and photos going up in the summer of 2010 that somewhere amongst the chaos of my cross-Atlantic move, I had a tiny little gold mine of snapshots that got lost in the recesses of my external drive! So here's to another great Fashion 101!

Yves Saint Laurent at the Petit Palais 

along the Seine River...my heart just melts as I think of it. 

**Please note: not all of these photos are the best, I was shooting from the hip...literally... as I was trying to discreetly capture the ambience of the exhibition for you guys without getting caught.**

At 17, Yves Saint Laurent started his career as an assistant to Christian Dior in 1953. Dior gradually accepted more and more of his sketch submissions and named him his successor to the House of Dior. In the Fall of 1957 Dior died unexpectedly of a heart attack and suddenly at 21 Yves Saint Laurent was to direct his first runway line. 

Here are the stats that any true fashionista should know about YSL:

1. Fused Art and Culture with Fashion

In his premier line for the Christian Dior label, he set the world on fire by creating Dior's signature "New Look" with trapeze dresses. 

 {merci Girl's Guide to Paris}

His life was all about art and culture and it was constantly cognisant in his collections. Including his famous YSL color block dress inspired by the well known Mondrian painting, and was just one of many art reinterpretations over the course of his fashion career. His influence was often found outside of Europe as well, and he is credited as the first designer to send ethnic models down his runway, including longtime muse, supermodel Iman.

{merci fashion freax}

2. Founded Ready to Wear

As many designers in the mid sixties meddled with a few pret-a-porter pieces, Yves Saint Laurent was the first to launch a full ready to wear collection in the Fall of 1966. In addition that Fall, he opened the first of his ready to wear stores which he called his Rive Gauche stores, in Paris. Catherine Deneuve was his first customer. 

Fashion fades, style is eternal ~Yves Saint Laurent

3. Uncovered the lost art of Couture

The sixties and seventies were a time where the golden age of decadent couture had long been forgotten, ahem... polyester suits. But as a couturier himself, Yves Saint Laurent's creations brought back haute couture into the spotlight it deserved. 

Haute couture consists of secrets whispered from generation to generation...If in ready to wear, a garment is manufactured according to standard sizes, the haute couture garmet adapts to any imperfection in order to eliminate it. ~Yves Saint Laurent

4. The women's tuxedo suit

YSL's partner and longtime companion Pierre Berge once said, "We often say Chanel has liberated the woman, which is true, but we can also say that YSL gave them the power." No truer words could be spoken. Yves Saint Laurent's designs were specific to empower the woman and pull out her beauty at the same time. In his Fall 1965 collection, YSL introduced Le Smoking, his women's tuxedo pantsuit that changed to female corporate look forever. YSL is also credited with other trends such as safari jackets, thigh high boots, and his coined beatnik look.

{merci wikipedia}

Yves Saint Laurent was a vital piece of the ever evolving landscape of fashion, and experiencing this exhibit was truly breath taking. In the Centre Pompidou on January 22, 2002 YSL showed his last collection before retiring, showcasing 30 new looks and a collection of 300 models emphasizing the highlights over his career. He died of brain cancer on June 1, 2008 in his Paris residence.

I want to thank all the women who have worn my clothes, the famous and the unknown, who have been so faithful to me and given me so much joy. ~Yves Saint Laurent

 {merci yoox.com}

 Thank you Wikipedia and the Petit Palais for your wisdom.

Alexander McQueen | Continuing on the Legend

Alexander McQueen was a rare fashion innovator of our generation. A true legend whose far to early departure left a permanent hole in the fashion industry. As much as I love fashion, it has become an overpopulated industry of copycats. Everyone thinks they can be a fashion designer...and maybe many can, but not everyone can be a fashion visionary...and that is what it takes to run your own label and transform it into a fashion house.

Alexander McQueen was a rare exception. In an age of dying fashion legends, one seemed to have reincarnated in the youthful fearlessness of a spunky Brit. Every season without fail His became the show to anticipate. With never tiring creativity, McQueen's clothes were not the only art on his catwalks by far. He was a rare designer who understood the art of entertaining and married that to his show concepts.

Sarah Burton has taken on the ever impossible task of steering the helm after McQueen's death. And contrary to popular belief (even Women's Wear Daily loves her) I have to say...I'm not impressed. Allow me to explain.

{merci StyleFrizz}

Sarah Burton has created some beautiful pieces, not a lot of color even though the McQueen line was fabulous with that, nonetheless, here are some jewels from Paris Fashion Week Fall 2011:

Photos compliments of WWD.com

But note the following creations...haven't we seen them before?

Oh, riiiight...they are almost identical to Alexander McQueen's former Fall and Spring lines leading up to his untimely bow out.

Sarah Burton - Fall 2011

This photo is thanks to Style.com

McQueen - Spring 2010

This futuristic vision for the line lent to a lot of fitted "body armor" type suits.

Sarah Burton - Fall 2011

McQueen - Fall 2010

This almost nod to Chinese motif was prevalent on many pieces in this collection.

Sarah Burton - Fall 2011

McQueen Fall 2010

And the dropped waist with the exaggerated gather was also a key icon for this collection.

There is a not so fine line between honoring a vision and mimicking past styles, and unfortunately I can't say much for what I believe Sarah Burton is doing. The thing Alexander McQueen was revered for besides his dynamic vision was his constant gear in a new direction. Look how different the looks are from Spring 2010 to Fall 2010 alone! 

On a hopeful note, I can see Sarah Burton has talent, but personally I challenge her to push this to realms of limitless creativity. I can't wait to see the result. 

What do you think mes cheries?

Au Revoir 2010

This year has seemed to have flown by! From staying alone in Warsaw last year, unable to be close to any friends and family...to this year living my dream and snagging a party to watch the ball drop live in NYC... I must say words cannot properly express my elation over the past few months.

I think we're raised to be synical...dream big, but don't get your hopes up because all too often things are not what they seem. Normally this tactic works, as it shelters us from a whole array of disappointing outcomes, but every once and a while you will find yourself pleasantly surprised with sheer happiness. New York has been my surprise, since the days of dress up in my mother's high heels I have dreamed of being a New Yorker. I couldn't wait to prance across town hailing cabs and climbing career ladders... all in the highest of styles of course ;)

This city certainly hazes anyone who dares try to live here, but once you make it in, its absolutely fabulous. So this New Year's I have a bounty of greatness to celebrate. Dreams come true, home sweet home established, and new adventures to embark upon. My favorite thing about New Year's is the look back of the last year, and how many incredible changes can happen in just 365 days. I am sure 2011 will bring about some changes of its own and personally cannot wait set out on the next 365 adventure!

Here is my recap of 2010... what is yours darlings?

{merci weheartit for the photo love}

 Rang in the New Year in a new country!

 Traveled to 4 new countries!

Fell in love in a romantic city!

Life long goal realized!

Not bad. No pressure 2011...

Paris Christmas Decorations

One of the most charming parts of visiting Paris in December was seeing various stores and cafes decorated for Christmas. Christmas in Paris is much more understated and tasteful than it is here in the U.S. You won't see giant blow-up Santas or snowmen, you won't hear annoying Christmas music, and you won't see garish flashing lights. You will see lots of natural elements like pine cones, cinnamon sticks, and grapevines. Real pine trees are often simply decorated with a few glass balls. Click on the pictures to see a larger view!

Many cafes are decorated above the awnings so as not to take away valuable table space on the sidewalk.

This cafe intermingled Christmas trees with the regular plants above the awning.

Trunks from birch trees help keep these trees in place and add that natural element that the Parisians like.

Twining grapevines are decorated with red sticks and glass balls in pinks and purples.

Three real trees sit atop curly sticks and gold and silver glass balls hang from ribbons.

I saw lots of trees decorated with flocking in various colors of the rainbow: White, red, purple, blue, and even bright green. The flocked trees would be adorned simply with glass balls in a contrasting color.

Red flocked trees with gold glass balls.

A tiny white flocked tree with blue glass balls adorns the window of a pharmacy.

Many stores and cafes had a single small decoration. Here a simple pine swag is decorated with real cotton bolls and red berries.

I would imagine that these white trees remain up year round. For Christmas, glass balls were added in an unexpected black.

I loved these two kooky Christmas trees that stuck out horizontally above a very narrow sidewalk in Montmartre.

Haven in Paris

The view from our apartment in Paris.

My husband and I sleep on different schedules. While I'm an early-to-bed early-to-rise type of gal, he prefers to stay up late. This has always been a challenge when we're away from home staying in a small hotel room. This past year, we've had two outstanding vacation experiences. For both of them, we chose an alternative to a hotel. While in Florida, we rented a small cottage and in Paris, we stayed in a fabulous apartment offered by Haven in Paris.

Haven in Paris offers a wide range of apartment choices in various neighborhoods throughout Paris, from studios to a 5-bedroom penthouse that can sleep up to 10 people. We stayed in the 1-bedroom Houdon apartment in Montmartre and it far exceeded our expectations. Large and spacious, it features a living/dining room, a comfortable bedroom with luxury linens, and a completely modernized kitchen and bathroom. Every window offered a marvelous view of the neighborhood, and the balcony was simply charming.

No, there is no maid, nor is there room service, but who cares? We were able to shop at the local grocery and cook our own breakfasts and dinners which saved us a huge amount of money. We were able to do laundry, which allowed us to pack lightly and go with carry-on luggage. We were able to stretch out and relax for hours without feeling cramped and claustrophobic in a small hotel room. And we weren't disturbed by loud people in the halls or on the other side of a thin wall. The cost of renting an apartment through Haven in Paris is lower per night than you would pay in most nice hotels and, in my opinion, the experience is far superior.

Best of all, the apartment truly felt like a home away from home, like we were living in Paris and not just visiting. We will definitely use Haven in Paris again for our next trip to France. Thank you, Erica!

Full disclosure: A portion of our stay at the apartment was a gift from a dear friend. I have not received any compensation from Haven in Paris for this post.

We'll Always Have Paris

Notre-Dame Cathedral

When my husband and I were first offered the opportunity to go to Paris in December, we almost turned it down. Paris is a city I've always wanted to visit, but I hadn't imagined going in winter. With the urging of friends and family, ("Are you crazy? You have to go!") we quickly changed our minds and our schedules and we were on our way.

The Louvre

I did a lot of reading and planning in the month before we left and had a list of "must see" sites that included the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe, the D'Orsay and Pompidou museums, Notre-Dame and Sainte-Chapelle cathedrals, and the window shopping on the Avenue Montaigne that I showed you last week.

One of the windows of Sainte-Chapelle

The lower chapel of Sainte-Chapelle

We arrived in Paris early one morning while it was still dark after flying overnight. After a short nap, we were ready for adventure and Paris delivered a new one every day. Each morning upon waking, I would check the weather, grab my pile of tour books and maps and crawl back under the covers to plan a framework for the day. We would see one or two of the sites from our list, but then we would also explore and wander off the beaten path and away from the tourists. This is how we found our two favorite restaurants, Chez Pommette on rue Lepic and Le Square Trousseau on rue Antoine Vollon and how we found the incredible chocolatier John-Charles Rochoux whose tiny square truffles are pure decadance.

This is also how we were able to find charming streets, alleys, and squares that make Paris....well, Paris. Each time we turned a corner, we were met with another enchanting view to make us smile with wonder and glee.

La Tour Eiffel from Trocadero

And the grandeur of Paris' various monuments exceeded our expectations. Our vocabularies were filled with the words, "Wow!", "Look at that!" and "Oh my!" at each turn.

Arc de Triomphe

Golden horses at Pont Alexandre III

The gargoyles of Notre-Dame

We traveled the city on foot and via the Metro, which is the finest subway system I've ever used. We never waited more than 2-3 minutes for a Metro train, no matter the day, the time, or the station, and there was always a station within a few minutes walk of wherever we were when we decided to end our explorations for the day.

A charming café in Montmartre

At the end of our stay, we agreed that our trip to Paris was one of the best vacations we've ever had. Our memories of our first visit to Paris will last us a lifetime. As Rick said to Ilsa, "We'll always have Paris."