Yves Saint Laurent
Published on June 2nd, 2008.
The fashion world has seen the loss of one of it’s greatest designers, Yves Saint Laurent died on Sunday 1st June at the age of 71.
Yves Saint Laurent was born in Oran, in 1936. He went to work for fashion designer Christian Dior when he was just 17. After Dior’s death in 1957 Saint Laurent was put in charge of the Dior label.
This did not last long as he was conscripted into the French army, where he suffered a nervous breakdown and was institutionalized in a mental hospital.
When he returned to Paris Dior had already replaced him with a young designer called Marc Bohan. This by no means stopped Saint Laurent and in 1962 with the help of his business partner and lover Pierre Berge he sat up his own label YSL.
Yves Saint Laurent was incredibly good at been one step ahead of the trends. He knew what the public wanted and he gave it to them. He was the first designer to popularize ready-to-wear fashion in 1966. He was also the first designer to use a black model on the runway.
In 1965 he created the fantastic collection the ‘Mondrian Look’ followed a year later by the ‘Pop Art Look’. Inspired by the simple block paintings of Piet Mondrian. These collections were striking and bold, and one of the best examples of fashion being directly influenced by art.
Saint Laurent was probably most famous for ‘Le Smoking’ tuxedo and his African collection with the ‘Safari Jacket’
Yves Saint Laurent will always be known for his outstanding contribution to women’s fashion and his beautifully crafted designs.
Filled under Fashion History.
