A Moment With Yves Saint Laurent

What constitutes a "fashion moment"? In a word: "Wow!" In a feeling: privilege. And in an experience: stepping into the studio of a fashion legend and having a good old rifle through their sketchbooks, their collection bible and beyond. All three boxes ticked, that's not bad for a run-of-the-mill Friday. But this is anything but run of the mill. I'm in Paris, at the YSL Foundation. And I'm stepping inside the world of Yves Saint Laurent: all soft green carpets, regal sofas and ornate chandeliers. This is where Yves's clients would, back in the day, have sat and watched as his latest creations paraded out in front of them and they mentally compiled their shopping lists - ones that, over the course of his career, would have included the designer's greatest hits: the smoking jacket and the Mondrian dress among them. And it's here where my tour begins.

Officially, the Fondation Pierre Bergé-Yves Saint Laurent opened its doors in 2004, following Yves's retirement in 2002. But it had been the designer's couture home since 1974 - he and Bergé had previously resided at 30 Bis Rue Spontini. Here is where all things Yves Saint Laurent are preserved, protected and celebrated - Jalil Lespert´s biopic of the designer, which is released on DVD this month, was partly filmed here.

Hidden away behind mirrored doors and staircases are 5,000 couture garments and 15,000 accessories, items of jewellery, drawings, miscellaneous objects - the things that inspired and informed the YSL world. But the most exciting part is, of course, the studio itself. It's a surreal and exhilarating space to step into, knowing that once upon time Saint Laurent himself would have sat here, lost among a river of sketches on the floor, a buzz of creativity around him.

A colourful collection of art on the walls (pictures of his beloved French bulldog Moujik, or photographs or the man himself, glamorous friends in tow), a seemingly endless line of books on the shelves and mini diorama vistas - Yves loved to create costume for ballet and theatre, too - punctuate the bright, white and serene space. Tools for work sit tight on the desk and, today, the aforementioned tuxedo and Mondrian designs standing before us.

Artisan Sketches

And while this experience is open to the public (and what a treat it is), what isn't on view are the sketchbooks and the collection breakdowns - otherwise known as the bible - of those famous collections.

Classical Style

It's wonderfully strange to look down and see the workings of his mind in these, a train of thought played out from beginning to end and the ideas that underpinned and informed a new way of dressing. For Saint Laurent embraced a masculine and modern wardrobe, one that was in complete contrast to that of the pronounced femininity and New Look of Christian Dior for whom he had worked as an assistant until 1957. Following the designer's death, Yves was subsequently appointed artistic director at the age of just 21 - quite a fashion moment of its own, too.