1977
“Les Chinoises” Collection
Related to Fashion
The “Spanish” collection was followed by the “Chinoises” collection, which corresponded with the launch of Yves Saint Laurent’s new fragrance Opium. China served as the couturier’s new source of inspiration, and its folklore fed his imagination. Saint Laurent drew on the colors, shapes, and materials of such places as Africa, Russia, Spain, and China for his own extraordinary creative journeys.
Beijing, however, remains a dazzling memory. The China that I had so often interpreted in my designs was exactly as I had imagined it. All I need for my imagine to blend into a place or a landscape is a picture book. … I don’t feel any need to go there. I have already dreamt about it so much.
Yves Saint Laurent, cited in Elle, December 25, 1995.
