On January 21, 1971, couturier Yves Saint Laurent presented his Spring-Summer haute couture collection. Inspired by the garments of the war years, the collection included short dresses, platform shoes, square shoulders, and exaggerated makeup. The show caused an outrage among the public, the critics, and the press alike, earning it the title of "Paris's ugliest collection." Nevertheless, the haute couture designs of the runway made their way to the boulevards, giving full sway to the "retro" trend that quickly conquered the streets. Yves Saint Laurent: The Scandal Collection, 1971 offers a behind-the-scenes look at the influential collection that "drew fire in the fashion world" from the collection's inspiration to the press coverage that followed. Beautifully illustrated and documented with well-researched essays, this book is enriched with personal interviews and archival photographs of the show, the models, the designs, and the textile and print samples, as well as sketches and international press clippings.

Originally published to accompany the recent, hugely successful exhibition at the Musee de la Mode et du Textile in Paris, which Christian Lacroix styled and co-curated, this book draws on the Museum's staggering archives to tell the story of fashion from the 18th century to the present day, as seen through Lacroix's inimitable eye. It also juxtaposes the collections with the most significant designs from Lacroix's own career, bringing to light the fundamental stylistic and formal principles that make up the history of fashion.