The intriguing life of Yves Saint Laurent
With over four decades of undisputed success, the Yves Saint
Laurent brand is one that is synonymous with elegance, class and innovation.
With beginnings in haute couture, the Yves Saint Laurent name has now blossomed
into a full portfolio of fashion and accessory lines including ready-to-wear men
and women’s fashion, sunglasses, cosmetics, handbags, shoes and Yves Saint
Laurent perfume.
Born to Design
Yves Saint Laurent was born and raised in Oran, Algeria with
his two sisters by his father (a prominent business man) and his mother, who has
been credited with passing on her love of fashion to Yves. His parents were well
known and respected amongst the elite in Oran, and Yves grew up as an upper
class child. At the age of 15, his fashion sketches were noticed by the
editor-in-chief of Vogue after entering the International Wool Secretariat
competition, and Yves was encouraged to study at the Chambre Syndicale de la
Couture in Paris. Yves was only there for a few months before quitting, but
after his fashion sketches won first prize in the International Wool Secretariat
competition later that year, he was hired on the spot by Christian Dior.
The Difficult Years
Saint Laurent worked very closely with Dior up until his
untimely death in 1957. Earlier that year, Dior had named Yves as his successor,
so at the tender age of 21 he found himself as the head designer of Dior. His
debut collection the Ligne Trapeze (featuring the iconic trapeze dress) won rave
reviews, and Saint Laurent steadily built up his design reputation working for
Dior.
In 1960, Yves was enlisted to fight in the French army and after severe hazing
from fellow soldiers, suffered a nervous breakdown and was sent to a mental
hospital. It was there that he found out that the house of Dior had fired him
(due to his beatnik inspired collection that flopped earlier that year) and went
on to endure being given large doses of sedatives and electroshock therapy at
the notoriously sadistic hospital.
When he was finally released, Yves returned back to Paris to start his own
fashion house with the financial backing and support of his partner, Pierre
Berge, in 1962. The house of Yves Saint Laurent astounded the fashion elite with
innovations such as le Smoking (the iconic smoking suit for women), the reefer
coat, the peasant top, sheer blouses and the jumpsuit amongst others.
Sweet Success
As YSL’s success grew, the house ventured into new territory
by designing classic fragrances such as Y (1964), Pour Homme (1971), Rive
Gauche(1971), Opium (1977), Kouros (1981), Paris (1983). Newer offerings such as
M7 and Nu were released when Tom Ford stepped in as head designer for YSL in
1999, but nothing comparable to the iconic fragrances that were first released
by Saint Laurent himself.
After being awarded the title of Commander in the French Legion of Honor by
President Jacques Chirac, Yves Saint Laurent distanced himself from his fashion
empire and lived a reclusive life at his homes in Morocco and Normandy with his
partner Berge. Yves Saint Laurent passed away in 2008 at his home in Paris, and
his funeral was attended by the political, fashion and media elite. One of the
most intriguing and successful designers of the past century, the Yves Saint
Laurent name will always represent true fashion innovation.
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'Fashions fade, style is eternal' Yves Saint Laurent |
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