The legendary couturier and trailblazer Yves Saint Laurent died at his home in Paris late Sunday after a prolonged illness. The designer, considered by many to be one of the greatest designers in history, began his 50 year-plus career at the tender age of 21, when he blazed an assured trail by replacing the original legend, couturier Christian Dior himself.
Yves would go on to become a beloved icon, known for shaking up the buttoned-up tight collars of Parisian couture with street influences and seductive nuances like the Le Smoking Jacket atop a bare chest, the menswear-inspired tuxedo for women, the 'into the wild' look of the lace-up safari top open down to the navel (who could forget Veruska standing out in the wilds of the African savannah with a safari top, big floppy hat and a rifle behind her head?), the famous white suit that Bianca Jagger wore to her wedding to Mick and countless others. Where would modern day ready-to-wear be without him? He was considered to be single-handedly responsible for its creation with the 1966 launch of his Rive Gauche collection that reflected his distinctive design aesthetic, sense of color and artistry of cut. So powerful was he in the fashion world once upon a time, that if he changed a hemline slightly or shifted the placement of a waistline, it would send the fashion world into a frenzy and his changes would ripple around the world. The designer would go on to create a plethora of fragrances as well as a very successful YSL Beaute beauty line. It was a sad day when he retired in 2002, an end of an era really, but today in the fashion world a very bright light has been permanently dimmed. Yves you will be missed!
