Yves Saint Laurent Style by Pierre (foreword by) Berge
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Book Summary Author: Pierre (foreword by) Berge Edition: Paperback Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published) Published: 2008 ISBN: 0810971208 Number of pages: 258 Publisher: Harry N. Abrams |
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Book Reviews of the Yves Saint Laurent Style
Customer Review: Not a full retrospective, but an incredible look into the creative process
Summary: 4 Stars
It's been years since I've written a review on Amazon, but the reviews I've seen for this book have compelled me to write again.
The strengths - and weaknesses - of YSL Style become more apparent when compared to the other recent YSL book from the same publisher (Yves Saint Laurent), which has received more positive reviews. From this point on, I will refer to the two books as "YSL Style" (pink book) and "YSL" (black book).
The quality of the printing and paper for YSL Style is good but not as luxurious as YSL. If your sole criterion for deciding whether to purchase a book is based on its status as an object and collectible, then YSL is the clear choice over YSL Style. If you are more interested in the content, then read on, because the two books serve different purposes.
YSL Style contains a generous number of the designer's drawings, far more than I've seen in any other fashion book. It provides great insight into the creative process and the evolution of ideas not just of Saint Laurent himself but also more generally in the arts and design. In this regard, YSL Style is distinct from most fashion retrospectives, more introverted; the reader peeks into Saint Laurent's sketchbook. The view is of Saint Laurent as an artist, like a painter in working in a studio rather than a figure in the glamorous world of celebrity and commerce.
In many other ways, YSL Style likely falls short of YSL. The latter book shows much more final work, more photographs than drawings. It also better conveys the ways in which Saint Laurent's designs were received, in terms of fashion shows, media coverage, and how people wore his clothes. As a retrospective, YSL provides a 360-degree view, while YSL Style is more focused. Some readers may view this as a limitation of YSL Style. I found the proximity to the very spark of creativity to be exhilarating.