UK pays homage to Yves Saint Laurent with 'Style is Eternal'

Yves Saint Laurent is the focus of the fashion world this week with the opening of a UK exhibition focusing on his work and life.

"Yves Saint Laurent: Style is Eternal" will highlight the famous French fashion designer's vision and its lasting influence on modern womenswear. The show will feature 50 of his most iconic garments, including pieces from his Russian Collection, the Mondrian dresses and the Tuxedo.

It will also reportedly showcase designs from his time at Christian Dior, including a Zéphirine dress that he created for the house at just 22 years old. The exhibition, which will take place at The Bowes Museum in Barnard Castle, County Durham, is the first Saint Laurent retrospective to come to the UK.

The designer, who died in 2008, co-founded his fashion house with partner Pierre Bergé in 1961 and put on his first catwalk show in 1962. Known as one of the great 20th-century fashion talents, he is famous for creating several key items of the modern woman's wardrobe, such as the pea jacket and trench coat, the famous "Le Smoking" jacket and trouser suit, which became one of his signature pieces.

Many of these garments have stood the test of time and remain current today. After all, as Saint Laurent himself once said: "Fashion fades, style is eternal."
"Yves Saint Laurent: Style is Eternal" will run at The Bowes Museum from July 11 - October 25. It is sponsored by the UK department store Fenwick.