Yves Saint Laurent: The Hamish Bowles Collection

The catalog of the exhibition Yves Saint Laurent: The Hamish Bowles Collection, presenting for the first time the renowned fashion historian’s extraordinary personal collection of vintage pieces by the French couturier.

Bowles was only nineteen when he acquired his first Yves Saint Laurent, a 1969 evening dress, found in a London thrift store. An insatiable collector, over the decades he has amassed an impressive collection of more than 3,000 garments by the most celebrated names in fashion history, of which 150 are by Yves Saint Laurent. He shares with readers a selection of his favorite pieces in this book.

This book offers the refreshing opportunity to examine Yves Saint Laurent’s genius through Bowles’ invaluable collector’s perspective, revealing the timeless elegance of the creations of an undisputed master of modernity and brilliant interpreter of his era. Organized chronologically, the 55 exhibited models are presented by personal texts penned by Bowles and reproduced alongside original sketches, workshop sheets, collection plates and illustrations from the museum's collection. The garments are all designs by Yves Saint Laurent from the different eras of his career, made to the measurements of couture clients and worn by them before arriving in the hands of Bowles―they have all been part of someone’s story. Donned in their everyday lives by strangers as well as by some of the most fashionable women of their time, such as Betty Catroux, Nan Kempner, Lynn Wyatt and Lily Safra, they are a living testament of Yves Saint Laurent’s genius, his evolution through time, and his lasting influence.