Fashion extraordinaire, Yves Saint Laurent passed away Sunday, at the age of 71. Born Yves Donat Mathieu Saint Laurent in Oran, Algeria in 1936, his fashion genius was apparent at a young age. By his late teens, he piqued the interest of – then French Vogue editor – Michel de Brunhoff with his designs and was off to France. In Paris, he worked under Christian Dior and by the age of 21, Saint Laurent was at the helm of the prestigious Dior empire. Between 1960 & 1961 he had served a brief stint in the Algerian War, had been replaced as the head of the House of Dior and subsequently established his namesake house of fashion.
Although his initial focus was on haute couture, Yves Saint Laurent ventured into the realm of prêt-à-porter (ready to wear) pieces. He introduced the world to the trapeze style dress, which has become popular again. A champion for female empowerment, Saint Laurent designed clothing for the modern woman that challenged societal norms. He created an uproar when he debuted a tuxedo for women, “Le Smoking,“ during a time when dresses & skirts were the only acceptable options. In true pioneer fashion, Yves Saint Laurent was THE first high-fashion designer to feature black models in his fashion shows and ad campaigns.
In 2002, almost 50 years after he set foot in Paris, Yves Saint Laurent retired from the fashion world. A master of timeless and sophisticated style, Saint Laurent drew inspiration from art, world cultures and life’s runway – street chic. His impact on today’s fashion and style is profound and will undoubtedly affect the trends of tomorrow.
I participated in the transformation of my era. I did it with clothes, which is surely less important than music, architecture, painting…but whatever it’s worth, I did it.
– Yves Saint Laurent (2002)
