Yves Saint Laurent Dies at 71

Famous for putting a woman into a man’s tuxedo and reworking the rules of women's fashion, Yves Saint Laurent believed, in his own words, that fashion should give women confidence and a belief in themselves, rather than just make them look beautiful.

According to the New York Times Obituary of 1st June 2008, Saint Laurent was largely responsible for changing the way modern women dressed. In the fickle, fast-changing world of fashion, Saint Laurent was hailed as the most influential and enduring designer of his time.

Credited by Diana Vreeland as being “the Pied Piper of fashion,” YSL designs represent the epitome of style, with glamorous evening gowns, sleek pantsuits, peacoats, trenchcoats and safari jackets, which became classics in their own right. The International Herald Tribune of 2nd June 2008 quotes him as saying,: "A woman's wardrobe shouldn't change every six months. You should be able to use the pieces you already own and add to them. Because they are like timeless classics."

The designer retired from the fashion industry in 2002, at the age of 65, after closing his Paris fashion house which he founded in the 1960s, and having sold his label to the Gucci Group NV in 1999.

The Renegade of Fashion

In 2002, shortly after his retirement, the British Independent newspaper hailed Saint-Laurent as “a style leader.” He earned his iconic status in the hearts of women due to his ability to blur the boundaries of fashion, by mixing vintage with modern and morphing them into new designs. This included his Trapeze dress— with its narrow shoulders, falling to a wide, skirt — a welcome change after years of body constricting clothing and tight waistlines.

His 1966 women’s tuxedo (le Smoking suit) broke the rules of fashion and became his designer trademark, updated on an annual basis, until he retired in 2002. According to the Independent, “by putting a woman in a man's tuxedo, he changed fashion forever, in a style that never dated."

Some of his renegade styles were met with resistance, however. In the fashion exposé entitled Fashion Bablyon, author Imogen Edwards-Jones recounts tales of women wearing Saint Laurent pantsuits who were turned away from hotels, bars and restaurants in New York and London, because they were dressed like men.

Above all, Yves Saint Laurent will be remembered by many women for making high fashion more accessible to the high street, with his ready-to-wear collections and his classic cuts and tailoring.

The Life of Yves Saint Laurent

Born in Oran, Algeria on 1 August 1936, Laurent’s life was one of highs and lows, as the pressures of the fashion industry took its toll. Admitting to depression, drugs and loneliness, bouts of depression plagued his career, and in the 60s, caused him to be given a medical discharge from his (drafted) military service. After his retirement, he referred to “phony friends” and his fight with drugs and tranquilizers. He also referred to “the prison of depression and hospitals” but announced ,"I've emerged from all this, dazzled but sober."

In 1971 he caused a scandal by posing nude in a photograph to promote his YSL men’s cologne, wearing only his glasses.

Landmarks in his life were numerous. In 1983, the Metropolitan Museum of Art devoted a show to Saint Laurent, the first in its history to honor a living designer. The New York Times obituary quotes Diana Vreeland, the legendary magazine editor, who masterminded the exhibition, as “a living genius” and she referred to him as“the Pied Piper of fashion.”

In 1985, he was awarded the Legion d'Honneur, having won the hearts of the French people and he became a national treasure. In 1988, during the French World Cup he gave an on-field retrospective at the Stade de France.

In 1999 Saint-Laurent sold out to the Gucci Group NV for royalties and $70 million; also conceding control of his Rive Gauche collection of fragrances, cosmetics and accessories. Differences between Saint Laurent and, Gucci’s creative director Tom Ford (with his racy designs) were rumored, by the industry, to have influenced Saint Laurent’s retirement, in 2002. YSL collections have continued to be designer by Stefano Pilati, one of Saint Laurent’s former assistants.

The Current Face of YSL

Today the YSL name keeps going from strength to strength. Supermodel Kate Moss is the current face of YSL fashions in 2008, and Naomi Campbell is touted as her successor, (with a contract worth £200,000) according to the Daily Mail’s 1st June 2008 updated article, “I’m blessed and grateful to be back at YSL.”

Naomi Campbell did her last YSL show in January 2002, Saint-Laurent’s final swan-song, which gave the fashion world a final chance to view his great talent as a designer. Former lover, friend and business partner, Bergé said that Saint Laurent's gift to fashion was that he empowered women after Chanel had freed them.

The death of Yves Saint Laurent means the loss of a great fashion icon. He was considered to be the last in a line of fashion greats that made Paris the capital of fashion, including Chanel and Dior.In the 1985 book (Thames & Hudson), Couture: The Great Fashion Designers, Saint-Laurent was hailed as "the most consistently celebrated and influential designer of the past 25 years.”

YSL Store in Paris

The Famous YSL Logo

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