Which ballet company inspired Yves Saint Laurent's 1976 collection?

Yves Saint Laurent’s 1976 collection was inspired by the Ballets Russes.

The autumn-winter 1976 haute couture collection was commonly called the “Opéra–Ballets Russes” or “Russian Collection.” Saint Laurent drew on the theatrical world created by Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes and especially the lavish costume designs of Léon Bakst. The collection translated that influence into rich colors, ornate surfaces, fur, velvet, silk, chiffon, and gold lamé.

The Ballets Russes were not the same as the Bolshoi Ballet or a single national opera company. Diaghilev’s internationally assembled troupe, active mainly from 1909 to 1929, transformed European ballet through collaborations with artists such as Bakst, Pablo Picasso, and Igor Stravinsky. Saint Laurent’s 1976 show revived that spirit of spectacle at a moment when haute couture was often being challenged by minimalist, practical fashion.