Many of his designs are today considered timeless classics. By blurring gender-specific design, he empowered individual style while creating a scissor-sharp fashion aesthetic of sensual ease and beauty.
Using traditional menswear fabrics and designs for women, Saint Laurent also literally cross-dressed, giving men and women alike chic pant suits, elegant tuxedo jackets and urban safari gear. He was the first couturier to open boutiques for both men and women. Saint Laurent was the first to launch a ready-to-wear label, YSL Rive Gauche Prêt-à-Porter. Yves Saint Laurent is recognised as one of the most influential designers of the 20th Century, the 1960's and 70's poster boy of Haute Couture.French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent pioneered “cross-design” in fashion, taking inspiration from street trends to modernize haute couture. He was born in North Africa in 1936 of French Algerian parentage, and the sights, colours and culture of North Africa provided unending inspiration to him and made him open to so many different cultural influences in his eclectic collections. He had been a protege of Christian Dior, hired as his assistant in 1957, and by the end of the fifties he was designing most of Dior's costume jewellery.
He was Dior's designated successor as head designer at Dior, which he unexpectedly became at the tender age of 21 with Dior's early and unexpected death in 1957. His first collection for Dior as head designer was hailed a triumph. He was conscripted into military service in 1960 but the stress led him to being admitted to hospital with a nervous breakdown, and his condition was made worse by his being sacked by Dior. His treatment included electro shock therapy and Saint Laurent blamed this period in hospital for his later problems with drugs and mental health issues.Īfter a period of recuperation he established his own fashion house in 1961with the help of his then partner Pierre Berge who provided the young designer with the financing that enabled him to be independent. He quickly became one of the most influential designers in Paris and in the 1960's and 1970's he was famed for introducing daring innovations such as the safari suit, Le smoking (tuxedo) and the trouser suit, both in 1966, thigh high boots, see-through blouses and clothes with ethnic influences such as the Russian peasant blouse in his Ballet Russes collection of 1976. These design influences are so ubiquitous now that it is difficult to imagine the profound impact not to say shock that Saint Laurent's now iconic designs had at the time.
In 1966 he was the first coutourier to introduce a ready to wear collection - Rive Gauche - which was sensationally popular. While his day clothes had a rather masculine aesthetic, his evening wear seemed to incorporate a touch of fantasy. He introduced jewellery to his couture collections and runway shows from their inception, his first collection in 1962 featuring some notable jet pieces. Jewellery and accessories have continued to be an essential element of the Yves Saint Laurent look. He used the services of some of the greatest jewellery designers around, including Goossens and Schemama. One of his most memorable collections was 'Africa' in 1967, incorporating Massai inspired necklaces and bracelets with beads and pearls which complemented the amazing clothes perfectly.
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