One of the greatest fashion couturiers, Yves Saint Laurent died yesterday at the age of 71 in Paris. He was considered the last of a generation of fashion designers like Christian Dior and Coco Chanel and to me an inspiration. At the age of 21, he ran Christian Dior after Dior's death and resurrected the failing financial fashion house. He created his own line, YSL and later brought the idea of Ready to Wear to the masses with his Rive Gauche boutiques. In 1966, his famous tuxedo suit for women showed that menswear styles, namely pants, could be a part of a woman's wardrobe.
I watched this great french documentary on his life called Yves Sain Laurent His Life and Times, which is now in a special box set with another documentary called 5 Avenue Marceau 75116 Paris. It's definitely a DVD worth getting for your collection.
Although Saint Laurent had been sick for many years and retired from fashion in 2002, in his 50 year career in fashion, his work is still considered timeless and modern today.