Transparences: the new fashion exhibition revealing the invisible at the Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris

Following the success of Formes, the Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris will devote its new fashion exhibition to the art of transparency, paying particular attention to the behavior of fabrics. From February 9 to August 25, 2024, visitors will be able to discover the second chapter of Transparences, a couture narrative begun the previous summer at the Cité de la Dentelle et de la Mode in Calais. For this Parisian sequel, the 16th arrondissement museum has turned to the talented curator Anne Dressen, to highlight the art of this subtlety, faithful to the vision of Yves Saint Laurent.

The exhibition, designed by architect Pauline Marchetti, explores how Yves Saint Laurent challenged the very nature of clothing, appropriating materials such as chiffon, lace and tulle from the 1960s onwards to play with the suggestive power of transparency. A bold theme that he repeated in his collections, allowing women toassert their sensuality while preserving their mystery and independence.

When Yves Saint Laurent said:"I've known about transparencies for a long time. The important thing with them is to keep the mystery... I think I've done my utmost for the emancipation of women", he sums up his unique approach to fashion perfectly. This exhibition looks at the power of materials to plunge us into the complexity of his work, analyzing his deep connection with the body and reinvented nudity.

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Divided into five universes, each space explores a different facet of transparency. From the entry of materials to the delicate play of light on the woman's body, from the fluidity of movement to the structure of garments, it offers an immersion into the fascinating world of Yves Saint Laurent fashion.

Among the pieces on display, iconic ones such as the famous 1968"See-Through Blouse", as well as rarer creations, dialogue with elements of his creative process, from sketches to photographs, as well as accessories and drawings inspired by the paintings of Goya. The exhibition is also enriched by works by modern and contemporary artists such as Anne Bourse, Man Ray, Loïe Fuller and Picabia, whose work echoes the virtuosity of Yves Saint Laurent's creations. The final touch, the Yves Saint Laurent bride, for whom transparency is synonymous with freedom, brings the tour to a fitting close, like a real catwalk show.

"Transparences - Le pouvoir des matières" defies convention, proudly celebrating the art of subtlety. Fashion, far more than a garment, becomes a form of artistic expression in its own right, a celebration of beauty and self-confidence.