Happy Birthday Yves Saint Laurent

2024 Author: Steven Freeman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 08:15

On August 1, 1936, one of the great fashion masters of all time was born in Algeria: Yves Saint Laurent. After an adolescence and youth in which his creative talent was already emerging, as demonstrated by his time at the Dior house or his fondness for Vogue magazine, the designer was a sewing visionary.

In 1961 he created his own firm with the help of his romantic partner, Pierre Bergé, with the aim of bringing fashion to the street. During her career she devised iconic pieces that are still in force such as the female tuxedo, the trench or the Saharan.

He retired from fashion in 2002. The group to which the firm belongs closed the haute couture line and left the ready-to-wear in the hands of Tom Ford. Then it was Stefano Pilati and in 2012 Hedi Slimane, who had been in charge of the men's line when Saint Laurent was still alive, took over the creative direction and decided to make a radical change to the maison starting with the name, which became Saint Laurent Paris, removing Yves from the equation. This 2016, Anthony Vaccarello was named creative director.

Today her name is synonymous with glamor, luxury and style. To celebrate what would have been the 80th birthday of the fashion designer, who died on June 1, 2008 in Paris, we recall five relevant events in his life.

1. In 1957 Christian Dior appointed him the main designer of his brand, becoming the youngest designer in French haute couture at just 21 years old. On his first catwalk, the iconic trapeze dress debuted.

2. Inspired by art and in homage to the painter, Saint Laurent released his Mondrian collection. Minimalist dresses but elaborated with complex haute couture techniques.

3. In the mid-1960s he was one of the first designers to include black models in his shows.

4. He was a pioneer in having a Ready to wear collection. His creations influenced not only fashion, but also the woman's lifestyle. He introduced the jumpsuit in 1967 and it was an instant hit. Instead of wearing skirts and dresses, the woman had a more androgynous and comfortable alternative.

5. In 1983 he became the first living designer to have an exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. More than a million people visited her and she was so successful that they took her around the world for the next seven years.