Haute Couture fashion week just got another date in its schedule. Christie's France is hosting what will probably be the biggest fashion auction of the 2019. The auction bears witness to nearly half a century long beautiful relationship between the celebrated couturier, Yves Saint Laurent, and one of the most talented actresses of French cinema, Catherine Deneuve, a truly one of a kind muse and artist relationship which at times feels almost predestined.
The unstoppable duo met on the initiative of Catherine's husband at the time, David Bailey, a famous British photographer, who in efforts to help Catherine find a perfect dress for her introduction to the queen of United Kingdom, suggested Yves Saint Laurent as a perfect person to seek out. Catherine, upon eventually meeting Yves, presented a photograph of a look from the famous Russian collection. He recreated for her a long white crepe de chine dress with panels of red embroidery. This marked the beginning of their enduring friendship and fruitful professional relationship.
The pinnacle of the pair's business relationship came in a form of a Luis Buñuel directed film, "Belle de jour", where Catherine appears in the role of Séverine Serizy, a young, married bourgeoise seeking to fulfill her masochistic fantasies by working in a secretive high-class brothel under an alias "Belle de jour".
Yves Saint Laurent has designed all of the garments that Catherine's Séverine would wear, becoming a vital part in the creation of one of the most fashionable movie characters of modern cinema. He fully understood Séverine's duality, injecting her otherwise prim and proper wardrobe with fetishistic undertones when the need arises. The pair continued to collaborate both on and off screen, Yves Saint Laurent continued to be Catherine's personal costume designer for 3 more films.
The auction boasts over 330 designs, from glamorous red carpet gowns to incredibly chic skirt suits, including runway looks from both his rive gauche and haute couture lines. One part of the collection will be auctioned off live on January 24th, during the Paris haute couture Fashion week. If you can't make it to Paris in time there is no need to despair, as a large part of the collection will be available for purchase through an online auction, from January 23rd - January 30th. Among the highlights of the auction you can find gowns worn by Catherine to some of the biggest film festivals such as Cannes, Oscars, Ceasar, and even accessories worn on film by the celebrated actress, a perfect gift for any cinephile.
