YSL I Love You!

As I've blogged before, I'm a little bit obsessed with the amazing through the keyhole style website, The Coveteur.  I love taking a peek into the homes of the super stylish, seeing little details of how they've put their personal space together and drooling over all their amazing clothes, shoes and decor.  A recent favourite was the home of the master of print, Erdem Moralioglu.  Erdem's space is a riot of colour, stuffed to the rafters with books, magazines and neon Nike trainers.  And in amongst the carefully labelled bookshelves and quirky royal family knick knacks are the perfect fusion of colour, design and fashion - a collection of YSL Love posters.

The Coveteur - Erdem Moralioglu

Images via: www.thecoveteur.com

The posters are reproductions of the New Year cards that Yves Saint Laurent designed and sent out to friends and clients every year between 1970 and 2000.  Each card features the word Love but each year's design is unique ranging from swirling art deco snakes to geometric, Matisse-inspired collages to portraits of his beloved French Bulldog, Moujik.  

I immediately fell head over heels for the posters and wanted a set for myself... Google to the rescue!  A couple of clicks of the mouse and I'd discovered not only where I could buy postcard reproductions of the cards, but also a fab new blog to add to my blog reading list, Why Morocco.  Mandy Sinclair, author of Why Morocco, is a Canadian living in Marrakech.  She moved to Morocco in January 2011arriving with no job, no apartment and just a handful of friends.  But things have a funny way of working themselves out.  A year and a bit on and Mandy blogs about her adventures in this little corner of Moorish Africa in a way that makes you want to follow in her footsteps, sell up and move to Marrakech tomorrow.

But what does Mandy have to do with the YSL love cards?

Well Morocco was one of Yves Saint Laurent's great loves.  The French couturier spent a great deal of time in Marrakech and Moroccan influences - from fez hats to djellabahs to turbans - can be seen in many of his collections.  Known for his love of hedonism, YSL was drawn to the exotic centre of glamourous expat excess.  Marrakech drew a jet-set European crowd - a favourite of Mick and Bianca Jagger and host to the legendary parties of YSL's hippie-boho muse, Talitha Getty. 

Talitha Getty & John Paul Getty Junior on Marrakech Rooftop

Image via: www.farfetch.com

Yves Saint Laurent, Marrakech, 1969

Image via: www.farfetch.com

Bianca Jagger polaroid by Bill Willis, Marrakech in the 70s

Image via: www.nowness.com

When Yves Saint Laurent died in 2008, his ashes were scattered in the grounds of one of the properties that he owned in Marrakech, the Majorelle Garden.  Today the 12 acre botanical gardens are open to the public and house an Islamic Art museum as well as the full collection of YSL's Love Posters.  The Majorelle Garden is one of Mandy's favourite spots in Marrakech and she's blogged several times about the gardens and the YSL Love Posters.  Postcards of the posters are available to buy from the gift shop and Mandy sells these cards via her blog.  Simply let Mandy know the years that you'd like and she'll send you the cards wherever you are in the world.

Garden Marjorelle

Image via: www.harpersbazaar.co.uk

Last week my selection arrived and I absolutely love them.  I'm going to frame my cards up and hang them on a wall in my dressing room - a little bit of beautiful YSL Love to get every day started on the right note!  Thank you Mandy!