Yves Saint Laurent YSL costume jewellery
Yves Saint Laurent YSL costume jewellery
Protégé of Christian Dior, Yves Saint Laurent founded his fashion house in 1961 and the following year released the first collection of costume jewelry. The style of his jewelry varies from elegant classic to exotic refined. Bijouterie of the 1970s – theatrical and bright, demonstrates the same purity of shapes and lines as clothing.
According to Laurent, people underestimate the importance of accessories – this is the thing that changes attire. “I like simple dresses and crazy accessories”, once he said. For Saint-Laurent, the perfection of the outfit depended not so much on clothes as on the correct accessory. For his customers couturier hired famous artists, jewelry designers, and haberdashery craftsmen, who could embody his ideas in perfect shape.

Asymmetric earrings. Multicolored rock crystal, gilding, turquoise and red enamel. The end of the 1980s. 5 cm. £ 60-80 CRIS
One of such designers, for example, was Loulou de la Falaise:
For more than thirty years, Loulou de la Falaise was creating jewelry and accessories for Laurent. Her courage, easy character and love for experiments inspired Yves Saint Laurent and amazed others. According to Loulou de la Falaise, she liked to mix styles and things that have nothing in common with each other. Also, she liked surprises, when things collide, “unity breaks when the monotony collapses”. As she herself noted, she possessed a rare gift – the ability to turn an unwanted object into a desired one. Loulou de la Falaise died in 2011.
Yves Saint Laurent YSL costume jewellery

Rectangular brooch. Metal of gold tone, fuchsia-colored glass and light amber. The end of the 1970s. 6.25 cm. £ 45-55 MILLB