“The beautifully designed HTC One (m8) goes on sale at the end of the week and to mark the occasion, we continue our evolution of style series looking at the career of esteemed designer Yves Saint Laurent.”
Yves Saint Laurent has been lauded as one of the greatest fashion designers of all time.
He was the first to introduce a tuxedo, designed primarily for women and he made clothes that were associated with peasants, such as the pea blouse, in luxurious fabrics.
In 1955, Yves Saint-Laurent met Christian Dior, showed him some sketches and was hired on the spot. He then began working as his assistant.
In 1957, Christian Dior passed away and Yves Saint Laurent was announced as his successor.
He presented his first couture collection for Dior in January 1958, featuring trapeze dresses but without the lining that had made Dior’s dresses stiff.
In 1960, Saint Laurent served in the army and suffered a mental breakdown. During this time, he was replaced as head of Dior by Marc Bohan.
1962 saw him set up his own design house although it was 1966 before his designs were properly noticed, his couture pea coats and bell bottoms then received a standing ovation.
In Paris, he opened a prêt-à-porter boutique at 21 rue de Tournon in Paris.
1969 saw him open a London boutique and in 1970, the great talent decided to create a menswear collection based on his own wardrobe.
However, in 1974, fame began to take its toll and uncomfortable with being recognised wherever he went, Saint Laurent began to shy away from public outings.
1977 saw Saint Laurent in and out of hospital, suffering from an addiction to both cocaine and alcohol.
In July 1989, the Yves Saint Laurent company was successfully floated on the Paris stock market.
A slew of designers including Marc Jacobs, Helmut Lang and John Galliano paid tribute to Saint Laurent from 1994 by imitating his ideas in their collections.
He presented his final collection in January 2002 and released a statement: “I have grappled with anguish and I have been through sheer hell. I have known those fair-weather friends we call tranquilizers and drugs.
“I have known the prison of depression and the confinement of a hospital. But one day I was able to come through all of that, dazzled yet sober.”
A true talent who once said, “dressing is a way of life”, Yves Saint Laurent passed away from brain cancer in 2008.
Heidi Slimane is currently creative director at Yves Saint Laurent, having changed the labels’s name in 2012 to Saint Laurent Paris.
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