"Fashions fade, style is eternal!" -Yves Saint Laurent

One of history’s most radical and influential fashion designers was also a champion of diversity. Yves Saint Laurent was the first designer to use  models of color on the runway. For his diverse casting in the ’60s and ’70s, he chose Iman, Rebecca Ayoko and Katoucha Niane for his muses over the years. Naomi Campbell credits him with getting her her first Vogue cover. 

Yves Saint Laurent: The Perfection of Style, traveled to its only East Coast venue, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, in 2017.  Drawn from the unparalleled collection of the Paris-based Foundation Pierre Bergé - Yves Saint Laurent and other private collections, the breathtaking show was an intimate and comprehensive look at a lifetime of achievement. It featured 100 haute couture and ready-to-wear garments and revealed Saint Laurent’s artistic genius. The Perfection of Style traced the trajectory of Saint Laurent’s style from the early 1970s to 2002, when he officially retired. 

Here's some images from the VMFA show. By Janel St. John