Paris is offering a unique range of fashion and style related events in the coming months. Our selection of five unmissable exhibitions.
The sparks of Yves Saint Laurent
The exhibition presented at the Yves Saint Laurent Museum in Paris highlights gold and golden sparkles in the work of the couturier. Through a well thought-out chronology, the exhibition – staged by Elsa Janssen, the museum’s new director – reveals the trappings dear to Mr. Saint Laurent. And these have been present since the beginnings of the fashion house in 1962: the first silhouette of the collection is already adorned with gold – a blue woolen caban borrowed from the sailor’s wardrobe, punctuated with golden buttons. The many accessories and jewelry, designed with the help of Loulou de La Falaise, illuminate the always elegant look of the silhouettes. When night falls, it’s party time! Figures of nocturnal Paris in the 1960s and 1970s, YSL and its gang imposed a style: lamés, leathers and brocades reign supreme. “The evening must shine, otherwise it would be a bit ridiculous…”used to repeat the couturier.
“Gold. Les Ors d’Yves Saint Laurent”, until May 14, 2023 at the Yves Saint Laurent Museum, 5, avenue Marceau, Paris 16e. Museeyslparis.com
Chinese gold celebrated
For more than thirty years, Betty Lo and Kenneth Chu, a Hong Kong couple, have been collecting ancient and precious Chinese gold ornaments. It is this extraordinary collection that the School of Jewelry Arts in Paris is currently offering. In this exhibition organized by theme, we dive into the heart of the habits and customs of the emperors and dynasties of the Middle Kingdom. The Tang (618-907) for example made hair ornaments (pins or gold combs studded with pearls) a sign of social function: the more majestic and richly adorned the adornment, the higher the rank of its owner. Belt ornaments had a symbolic function, linked to the culture of nomadic peoples, and could represent dragons or zither players. Many jewels in the image of insects or birds, symbols of the beauty of nature, are also presented, as well as others representing human figures (horsemen, emperors, children)… A rare exhibition and particularly well documented.
“Golds and treasures. 3000 years of Chinese ornaments”, until April 14, 2023 at the School of Jewelry Arts, 31, rue Danielle-Casanova, Paris 1er. Lecolevancleefarpels.com
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