Under the guidance of The Foundation of Pierre Bergé-Yves Saint Laurent, the first YSL museum in Paris is held on the former haute couture house. The exhibit is running now until September 9, 2018, featuring the brand's most iconic looks and the couturier's official design studio. This unique retrospective display archiving 5,000 handmade samples takes place soon after the late YSL co-founder Pierre Bergé, who passed away on September 8 at the age of 86.

Haute couture dresses. Photo courtesy of museeyslparis.com

YSL's signature pieces - the Le Smoking tuxedo, the Saharienne jacket, the jumpsuit, and the trench coat (L-R). Photo courtesy of museeyslparis.com

All the major themes of Saint Laurent's work is covered through each room. One section showcases the designer's quintessential style of masculine-meets-feminine including the Le Smoking tuxedo, the Saharienne jacket, the jumpsuit, and the trench coat.

Hand-sewn jacket. Photo courtesy of museeyslparis.com

1962 collection. Photo courtesy of museeyslparis.com

Other sections include: intricately-crafted jackets, the looks from Saint Laurent's first two seasons under his eponymous label in 1962, the collections inspired by his imagined journeys to China, Morocco, Spain, and, Russia, his most well-known designs like the Mondrian dress and the African-inspired ensembles and exclusive first time pieces.

Journey collection. Photo courtesy of museeyslparis.com

African-inspired ensemble. Photo courtesy of museeyslparis.com

Alongside the archive collection is an exploration of the couture house like the designer's studio, filled with drawings, scraps of fabric, boxes of buttons and an approximately fifty haute couture designs. In the reception area, photos and paintings of Saint Laurent hang on the walls, including Andy Warhol's famous pop-art portraits of the late designer.

Saint Laurent by Andy Warhol. Photo courtesy of museeyslparis.com

Hours of operations are Tuesday - Sunday, 11am - 6pm and Friday until 9pm. A single full-priced ticket cost about $15 and should take an 1.5 hour to complete. YSL fans that can't make it to 5 Avenue Marceau, 75116 Paris, France should not worry, another museum is set to open in a city near you. Next stop - Marrakech, Morocco.

By Thor Villagomez

Banner image courtesy of museeyslparis.com

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