In the '70s and '80s, Marrakech was the first stop for jetsetters and fashion personalities like Talitha Getty and Loulou de la Falaise. Saint Laurent was also in Morocco, his second homeland, where he and Pierre Bergé had purchased three houses, among which the Majorelle gardens, created by the homonymous painter of the 20s. Contrasts, colours and lights; effects of this blue and green garden of earthly delights are mirrored in the exhibition’s setting, including caftans sprouting in apricot velvet, in bougainvillea pink or in peacock turquoise, bijoux and tapestries coming from the major Moroccan collections.
The image of the famous Majorelle gardens in Marrakech is projected on the wall of this exhibition dedicated to an exotic world that was both home and a source of inspiration for Yves Saint Laurent.
But Une Passion Marocaine features only a thread of the designer's own work, instead focusing on the elaborate jewellery and caftans from the turn of the 20th century. The exhibition highlights the artistic history of Morocco and marks the indissoluble bond connecting Yves Saint-Laurent’s fashion and the Moroccan culture since 1966. Saint Laurent fans will spot these connections between the ethnic originals and the high couture. Here you'll find extravagant Fez dresses from the 1800's, rendered in silk, velvet, and metal threads, as well as a collection of rare wedding jewellery and engraved silver.
The event displays the Caftan according to its many different versions, reflecting traditions of different places and historical periods: from the velvet one typical of the northern city of Tétouan to the silk and gold-embroidered tunic of Fés and the straight cut of the one from Rabat. On show are also the contemporary interpretations offered by designer Tamy Tazi and Yves Saint-Laurent. A heritage that the designer had always been celebrating:
"Despite knowing lights and colours of Northern Africa, it was only later, when I discovered Morocco that I figured out that my chromatism perfectly matched that of zelliges, zouacs... of the Kaftans. I owe my boldness to this country. I feel like this culture has become my own culture: I wasn’t simply content to import it, but I also wanted to integrate, transform and adapt the heritage of Morocco".