When Yves Saint Laurent (1936-2008) arrived in Paris at age 17 from the city of Oran, Algeria, he took the fashion world by storm. Before long, Saint Laurent found himself working for Christian Dior (1905-1957), who immediately recognized his creative genius. In 1957, after Dior’s sudden death, Saint Laurent was named the house’s chief designer at just 21 years old. Overnight, he became the ruler of Parisian fashion.
After a few years at Dior, Saint Laurent decided to strike out on his own and launch a fashion house with his friend and business partner Pierre Bergé (1930-2017). His new label was an instant success, and the influential fashion trade paper Women’s Wear Daily crowned him “the king of Paris.” For decades since, Yves Saint Laurent has continued to shape the world of high fashion. It’s sometimes hard to grasp just how revolutionary his clothes were for their time.
For Saint Laurent, fashion was never just about designing beautiful clothes. It was also a chance to make a statement (sometimes a pointed one). His earliest designs came out of the 1960s, right as the feminist movement was gaining ground and more and more women were entering the workforce. He understood that women wanted to project a more powerful image, and he gave them exactly that. He was the first designer to create a pantsuit for women, and along the way, he essentially performed a “sex change operation” on the tuxedo, which up to that point had been considered strictly menswear.
One reason for Saint Laurent’s success was his ability to adapt to the changing circumstances in Paris and the wider world. He was among the first to understand that haute couture, where garments are made to order, was on the decline, and that the future belonged to ready-to-wear (prêt-à-porter).
Saint Laurent’s vision was to make his fashion accessible to people who couldn’t previously afford it, and to do that he created the label Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, which let women buy his designs at prices that made sense (relatively speaking, of course). In doing so, he brought haute couture to a wider audience and created an entirely new fashion category. All of this, naturally, happened in Paris, and on the itinerary below you’ll find some of the places where this fashion revolution took place.
The Studio of Yves Saint Laurent
Start the walk at the Alma Marceau metro station. Walk along Avenue du Président Wilson and then onto Avenue Marceau. Turn left onto Rue Léonce Reynaud. At number 3, you’ll find what was once Yves Saint Laurent’s studio. Today the space is run by the Pierre Bergé-Yves Saint Laurent foundation and hosts rotating fashion exhibitions.
Palais Galliera
Retrace your steps toward Avenue du Président Wilson to reach the Palais Galliera, today the city’s fashion museum, displaying clothing, shoes and other fashion items from the 18th century to the present. Keep in mind the museum is only open for its rotating exhibitions, so check the museum’s website before you go.
The Temples of French Fashion on Avenue Montaigne
Head back toward Avenue Montaigne, Paris’s fashion avenue. Here you’ll find just about every major fashion house, each displaying the latest in haute couture in its massive storefront windows. While you’re here, stop for a drink at the bar of the Hôtel Plaza Athénée at number 25 (and if you want to go easy on your wallet for once, you can also eat at the hotel restaurant where Saint Laurent himself used to dine). Another option nearby is the restaurant l’Avenue, a bit further down at number 41.
The Yves Saint Laurent Flagship Store
After you’ve eaten, head to number 53 and take a look at the Yves Saint Laurent flagship store. Cross the the Champs-Élysées traffic circle onto Avenue Matignon and turn right onto Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, which later becomes Rue Saint-Honoré. There you can visit the Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche store at numbers 32-38. If you’re already in the area and want a shot at rubbing shoulders with the biggest names in French fashion, walk a little further to the Hôtel Costes at number 239 and stop by its bar (during Fashion Week, you’re bound to run into someone).
Saint-Roch Church and the Palais-Royal
Walk to number 296, where you’ll find Saint-Roch Church. It’s one of my favorite Baroque churches in Paris, and it’s worth a look inside, not only because it hosted Yves Saint Laurent’s funeral service on June 5, 2008.
Keep going along Rue Saint-Honoré and turn left into the Palais-Royal. There, in the Galerie de Montpensier at numbers 20-24, you’ll find Didier Ludot’s vintage shop, where with a little luck you might even find a genuine Yves Saint Laurent piece at a fairly reasonable price (because what’s a trip to Paris without a little shopping?).
And that’s where this itinerary ends. If you’d rather get to know Saint Laurent and his life a bit better before your next trip to Paris, I highly recommend looking into some of the documentaries about his life.
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