A King of

Fashion

Designers

Biography

Yves Saint Laurent

▪ born in Oran, Algeria

▪ 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

▪ studied at the Chambre Syndicale de

la Haute Couture

▪ 1957: named head of the House of

Dior

▪ 1958: trapeze dress for his first Dior

collection

▪ 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

▪ 1960s – 1970s: considered one of

Paris’s ‘jet set’

▪ 1964: launches first perfume for

women, “Y”

▪ 1966: opened first of his Rive

Gauche stores and made the famous

Le Smoking

▪ 1974: introduces men’s wear

▪ 1983: first living fashion designer to

be honored by the Metropolitan

Museum of Art

▪ 1999: Gucci Group acquires house

▪ 2001: awarded the rank of

Commander of the Légion d’Honneur

by French president Jacques Chirac

▪ 2002: retires and reclusive

▪ 2007: awarded the rank of Grand

Officier de la Légion d’honneur by

president Nicolas Sarkozy

▪ 2008: dies of brain cancer in ParisYves Henry Donat Mathieu-Saint-Laurent

(August 1, 1936 – June 1, 2008)

Hallmarks

Yves Saint Laurent sketches (1957)

the acclaimed Trapeze Dress

(1960s)

starts his own fashion

house with his lover and

partner, Pierre Bergé

(1962)

“Y” perfume (1964)

inspired by Dutch painter Piet

Mondrian, dress from YSL’s

“Mondrian Haute Couture” (1965)

photo from Harper’s Bazaar

(1955) of the first cloth of

Yves Saint Laurent made for

Christian Dior

Le Smoking (1966)

Hallmarks

uses men’s tailoring and safari

styling in “Saharienne”

advertisement for his first

perfume for men, Pour Homme

(1971)

controversial 40s inspired collection (1971)

Kate Moss for Opium” perfume

(released in 1977)

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, peasantblouses, bolero jackets, pantsuits, ribbed sweater sleeves, finely cut suits,shirt dresses, pea jackets, safari-chic, flying suits, “beatnik” motorcyclejackets, 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 elegantlyblacks and whites

The Inspiration

inspired by graphic prints, ethnicities, cultures

His Many Muses

His Final Collection

Paris, January

22, 2002

Stefano Pilati (2004 – present)

“French”

Tom Ford (2002 – 2004)

“too sexy”

New Directions

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