Monday, June 2, 2008

Yves Saint-Laurent 1936-2008

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Yves Henri Donat Mathieu Saint Laurent, one of the famed great designers of the 20th Century and Legendary couturier, passed yesterday afternoon in Paris France at the age of 71 due to a long battle with brain cancer. Born in Oran, Algeria during the time the African country was still French territory, Saint Laurent is known as the spectacular designer who revolutionized ready-to-wear and haute couture as well as the first designer to use black models on the runway. At the tender age of 17 he moved to Paris with a solid collection of sketches in tow. The following year he won three of the four categories in a design competition in Paris (the fourth went to his contemporary Karl Lagerfeld, now at Chanel). At the behest of Vogue editor Michel de Brunoff, Yves was hired at the house of Christian Dior and at the age of 21, he was charged with saving the Dior house from financial ruin following Christian Dior’s death in 1957.
In 1960, soon after Yves took control of the Dior house, he was drafted into the in the French army during the Algerian War of Independence. According to reports, after 2 1/2 weeks of being hazed and tortured by other solders, he was sent to a French mental institution and treated with electroshock therapy. Yves already had a history of mental illness after being taunted in his childhood for his homosexuality. After being released from the French army due to his health, Yves returned to Paris and Dior to find he had already been replaced by Marc Bohan, and in 1962, Yves created the YSL label with business partner Pierre Bergé. His name and the familiar YSL logo became synonymous with all the latest trends, highlighted by the creation of the Rive Gauche ready-to-wear label and perfume, as well as astute licensing deals for accessories and perfumes. In 1983, Saint Laurent was the first designer to be honored by the Metropolitan Museum of Art and will always be remembered for his iconic black trouser suits and safari jackets that dressed the woman’s revolution of the 1960's. Funeral services for Yves Saint Laurent are scheduled for Thursday afternoon in Paris, with French President Nicolas Sarkozy expected to attend. Service is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. at the Eglise Saint-Roch at 296 Rue Saint Honore. Afterward, Saint Laurent will be incinerated, and his ashes will rest at his famous Majorelle Garden in Marrakech. Rest in Peace.




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