Yves Saint Laurent
Yves Henri Donat Matthieu Saint Laurent was born on August 1, 1936, in Oran, Algeria,
to Charles and Lucienne Andrée Mathieu-Saint-Laurent. He grew up in a villa by the Mediterranean with his two younger sisters, Michelle and Brigitte. While his family was relatively well off — his father was a lawyer and insurance broker who owned a chain
of cinemas — childhood for the future fashion icon was not easy. Saint Laurent was not popular in school, and was often bullied
by schoolmates for appearing
to be homosexual.
In 1960 Saint Laurent was called back to his home country of Algeria to fight for its independence. He managed to secure an exemption based on health grounds, but when he returned to Paris, Saint Laurent found that his job with Dior had disappeared. The news, at first, was traumatic for the young, fragile designer. Then it became ugly, with Saint Laurent successfully suing his former mentor for breach of contract, and collecting £48,000. The money
and the freedom soon presented Saint Laurent with a unique opportunity.
In cooperation with his partner and lover, Pierre Berge, the designer resolved
to open his own fashion house.
[01]
[02]
Yves Saint Laurent (August 1, 1936–June 1, 2008) was
a French fashion designer
born in French Algeria.
In 1953 he moved to Paris
after winning a competition
for young fashion designers
and quickly found work with Christian Dior.
Over the next two decades, Saint Laurent’s designs sat atop the fashion world. Models and actresses gushed over his creations. He outfitted women in blazers and smoking jackets, and introduced attire like the pea coat to the runway. His signature pieces also included the sheer blouse and the jumpsuit.
By the 1980s, Saint Laurent was a true icon. He became the first designer to have a retrospective on his work at the Metropolitan Museum in New York City. Under the direction of Berge, who continued to manage Saint Laurent’s firm even though the two had broken up in 1986, the fashion house flourished as a money making venture.
But Saint Laurent struggled. He became reclusive, and fought addictions to alcohol and cocaine. Some in the fashion world complained that the designer’s work had grown stale.
There have been good designers in the past. Many of them have been greatly important in the little niche they have created for themselves. There are many who, like Vionnet and Madame Grès, impacted the very idea of what cloth could be used to achieve. But none of them had the over-riding authority to set the highest standards for fashion over many years and to change not only how we dress, but also how we think
of ourselves, whilst posing the challenge
of excellence to mode designers.
A 1958 spring collection saved the company from collapsing, Laurent created dresses with gentles flares and narrow shoulders and this idea opened the door of stardom worldwide
In 2008, Laurent died of brain cancer at his home in Paris, and a year later Forbes ranked Saint Laurent as the highest-earning dead person.
[04]
[03]
The most beautiful clothes that can dress a woman are the arms of the man she loves.
But for those who haven’t had the fortune of finding this happiness,
I am there
To Fashion with love
Yves Saint
Laurent
Yves Saint Laurent (August 1, 1936–June 1, 2008) was a French fashion designer born in French Algeria.
[01]
In 1953 he moved
to Paris after winning
a competition
for young fashion designers and quic-kly found work with Christian Dior.
[02]
Yves Henri Donat Matthieu Saint Laurent was born
on August 1, 1936, in Oran, Algeria, to Charles
and Lucienne Andrée Mathieu-Saint-Laurent.
He grew up in a villa
by the Mediterranean with his two younger sisters, Michelle and Brigitte. While his family was relatively well off — his father was a lawyer
and insurance broker who owned a chain of cinemas — childhood for the future fashion icon was not easy. Saint Laurent was not popular in school, and was often bullied by schoolmates for appearing to be homosexual.
In 1960 Saint Laurent was called back to his home country of Algeria to fight
for its independence.
He managed to secure
an exemption based on health grounds, but when he returned to Paris, Saint Laurent found that his job with Dior
had disappeared.
The news, at first, was traumatic for the young, fragile designer. Then it became ugly, with Saint Laurent successfully suing his former mentor
for breach of contract,
and collecting £48,000.
The money and the freedom soon presented Saint Laurent with a unique opportunity.
In cooperation with his partner and lover, Pierre Berge,
the designer resolved to open his own fashion house.
Over the next two decades, Saint Laurent’s designs sat
a top the fashion world. Models and actresses gushed over his creations. He outfitted women in blazers and smoking jackets, and introduced attire like the pea coat to the runway. His signature pieces also included the sheer blouse
and the jumpsuit.
By the 1980s, Saint Laurent was a true icon. He became the first designer to have
a retrospective on his work
at the Metropolitan Museum
in New York City. Under
the direction of Berge, who continued to manage Saint Laurent’s firm even though
the two had broken up in 1986, the fashion house flourished as a money making venture.
But Saint Laurent struggled. He became reclusive,
and fought addictions
to alcohol and cocaine.
Some in the fashion
world complained that
the designer’s work has
grown stale.
There have been good designers in the past. Many of them have been greatly important
in the little niche they have created
for themselves. There are many who, like
Vionnet and Madame Grès, impacted the very idea of what cloth could be used to achieve.
But none of them had the over-riding authority
to set the highest standards for fashion over many years and to change not only how
we dress, but also how we think of ourselves, whilst posing the challenge of excellence
to mode designers.
[03]
A 1958 spring collection saved
the company from collapsing, Laurent created dresses
with gentles flares and narrow shoulders and this idea opened the door of stardom worldwide
[04]
In 2008, Laurent
died of brain cancer at his home in Paris, and a year later Forbes ranked Saint Laurent as the highest-earning
dead person.
The most beautiful clothes that can dress a woman are the arms of the man she loves.
But for those who haven’t had the fortune of finding this happiness,
I am there
Made on
Tilda