A King of Fashion Designers
Biography ▪ 1960s – 1970s: considered one of Paris’s ‘jet set’
Yves Saint Laurent ▪ born in Oran, Algeria
▪ 1964: launches first perfume for women, “Y”
▪ 1953: left Paris to pursue fashion and was hired at age 17 as Christian Dior’s assistant after winning 3rd place in a contest by International Wool Secretariat
▪ 1966: opened first of his Rive Gauche stores and made the famous Le Smoking ▪ 1974: introduces men’s wear
▪ studied at the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture
▪ 1983: first living fashion designer to be honored by the Metropolitan Museum of Art
▪ 1957: named head of the House of Dior
▪ 1999: Gucci Group acquires house
▪ 1958: trapeze dress for his first Dior collection
▪ 2001: awarded the rank of Commander of the Légion d’Honneur by French president Jacques Chirac
▪ 1960: conscripted to serve in the French Army during the Algerian War of Independence after a disastrous Fall 1958 collection ▪ 1962: starts own fashion house with partner Pierre Bergé, funding from J. Mack Robinson
▪ 2002: retires and reclusive ▪ 2007: awarded the rank of Grand Officier de la Légion d’honneur by president Nicolas Sarkozy Yves Henry Donat Mathieu-Saint-Laurent (August 1, 1936 – June 1, 2008)
▪ 2008: dies of brain cancer in Paris
Hallmarks
“Y” perfume (1964) Yves Saint Laurent sketches (1957) the acclaimed Trapeze Dress (1960s)
starts his own fashion house with his lover and partner, Pierre Bergé (1962) photo from Harper’s Bazaar (1955) of the first cloth of Yves Saint Laurent made for Christian Dior
inspired by Dutch painter Piet Mondrian, dress from YSL’s “Mondrian Haute Couture” (1965)
Le Smoking (1966)
Hallmarks
uses men’s tailoring and safari styling in “Saharienne” controversial 40s inspired collection (1971) Kate Moss for Opium” perfume (released in 1977)
advertisement for his first perfume for men, Pour Homme (1971)
YSL puts on a 300-model fashion show during the World Cup in the Stade de France (1998)
The
Look
•
• •
famous for “Le Smoking” tuxedo jacket, see-through blouses, peasant blouses, bolero jackets, pantsuits, ribbed sweater sleeves, finely cut suits, shirt dresses, pea jackets, safari-chic, flying suits, “beatnik” motorcycle jackets, tulle evening dresses, bridal-wear, and smocks feminizing basic shapes of the male wardrobe use female silhouette to create elegance and confidence
“His dream is to give women the foundation of a classic wardrobe, which, by escaping trends, gives them more confidence in themselves. His Smoking (tuxedo) jacket was a shock when it was introduced in 1966. A woman was banned in the 60's from dining at the Plaza hotel in New York, because she was wearing a YSL pantsuit. His pants and jackets became a statement for a new generation of women…” - Fashion Model Directory
“Saint Laurent frequently uses ethnic themes in his garments, as well as bright colors contrasted with black. His day clothes have a slightly masculine flavor, and his luxurious evening wear is tinged with fantasy.” – We Connect Fashion
“In his design, Saint Laurent focused on the body, gesture, and style. Worn on women, YSL clothes are free-flowing and always falling from the shoulder. The material is draped over the body and held together by pins at precise foldings. His aim was to make the garment skim over the body and barely touches it. A journalist once asked the designer how he could justify the very high price for a simple Rive Gauche jacket. Saint Laurent replied, “For ze cut!”” – The Beautiful Fall: Fashion, Genus, and Glorious Excess in 1970’s Paris, by Alice Drake
The
Color
“I want to shock people, force them to think.”
supreme fashion colorist
color schemes may clash elegantly blacks and whites
The
Inspiration
inspired by graphic prints, ethnicities, cultures
His
Many Muses
His Final Collection
Paris, January 22, 2002
New Directions Tom Ford (2002 – 2004) “too sexy”
Stefano Pilati (2004 – present) “French”
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