Two years ago I stood in line over two hours outside the Petit Palais to see the Yves Saint Laurent retrospective. It was a warm spring morning, and as I looked down at the fawn-colored gravel at my feet, I wondered if I should be squandering my scant time in Paris waiting in line. I did, and it was worth it. For me, Yves Saint Laurent combined emotion and elegance in his designs. A woman wearing his clothing was always properly dressed, but YSL’s wit and passion — he didn’t shy away from hot pink and hearts — stirred a little of the bohemian into the bourgeois. Dawn Spencer Hurwitz does the same in her fragrances for Denver’s Yves Saint Laurent Exhibition. Ligne Trapèze and Le Smoking are my favorites.
Dawn Spencer Hurwitz created six fragrances to complement the YSL exhibition. Three of them — The Beat Look, Euphorisme d’Opium, and La Vie en Rose — summon Yves Saint Laurent Y, Opium, and Paris respectively. (I only tested these briefly, but The Beat Look especially begs for more wear.) The other three fragrances were inspired by iconic YSL designs. An evening coat sparked Ma Plus Belle Histoire d’Amour, an airy wisteria and linden fragrance. Ligne Trapèze stemmed from YSL’s 1958 collection “Trapèze,” and Le Smoking from the iconic Tuxedo-inspired pant suit for women which he launched in 1966 and featured in several couture and prêt-à-porter collections after…
