The Cleopatra Dress – Yves Saint Laurent. Behind the Scenes of Haute Couture in Lyon
Yves Saint Laurent had very precise ideas about what he wanted and how he wanted to define his future fabrics. From these privileged exchanges was born a Brochier Soieries gold lamé, known as the “poet’s lamé,” whose incredible brilliance recalls the dresses paying homage to Hollywood cinema.
The metal-plastic threads in the form of gold lamellae are woven double-faced on a base of black satin. The drape is fluid and catches the light in a fantastic way. Yves Saint Laurent never ceased to use this fabric, brought to prominence by his iconic dress known as “Cleopatra” in 1990.
In the years following, Brochier Soieries’ gold lamés were present in all collections of major French and foreign couturiers.
We would like to extend special thanks to the Yves Saint Laurent Museum for their enlightened assistance during the creation of the Musée Soieries Brochier, the sharing of their archives, and the special attention given to Lyon’s savoir-faire, which Mr. Saint Laurent so greatly appreciated.