Yves Saint Laurent
This luxurious volume, published to accompany the current retrospective of Yves Saint Laurent’s work at Paris’s Petit Palais, beautifully compiles the fashion designer’s professional craft and personal history. Bearer of the iconic initials YSL, the Algerian-born wunderkind entered into the fashion world as an art director for Christian Dior destined for industry success. The book, formatted partially as a time line, narrates Laurent’s life against the broader backdrop of French social and cultural life. Close friends and colleagues adorn this story with personal accounts of a troubled life lived in the spotlight that was not without its share of intrigue (addictions, failed collections). Those interested in fashion for fashion’s sake will enjoy the many brilliant, high-quality photographs and descriptions of every collection YSL created. Full-page profiles of Laurent’s most revolutionary styles, such as his women’s tuxedo and safari jacket, demonstrate the designer’s significant contribution to fashion history. At its core, this book is a thorough depiction of a man and his craft. --Annie Bostrom