YSL Forever

"Fashions fade, style is forever"

Yves Saint Laurent (1936 - 2008)

Yves Saint Laurent died tonight in Paris.
From cancer.

He was called an enfant terrible in his youth. And he remained one.
That's the secret of many a great artist: to remain a child at heart.

(You doubt that fashion design is art?
Then have a look at the title of this section of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where some of YSL's historic designs are preserved. Or this timeline.)


We will be writing more on YSL in the near future.
Meanwhile, here is a design or two, from among his more emblematic creations; and an early work.

Enjoy.

That's what they were made for.

Yves Saint Laurent, Evening dress, 1969–1970
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

And here's the description from the MET online catalog:

Diana Vreeland recalled of Saint Laurent, "He struck me right away as a person with enormous inner strength, determination and full of secrets. I think his genius is in letting us know one of his secrets from time to time." The sheer theatricality of this evening dress shows Saint Laurent at his most flamboyant and transfigurative.

Before Saint Laurent was Saint Laurent,
he was already Saint Laurent...







Yves Saint Laurent, evening dress, for Christian Dior, 1958.
The dress is coming up for auction at Christie's (sale no. 2017), in July 2008

... and then rocked on with the times

"There is no attire quite as beautiful as the naked human body. There is no prettier gown for a woman than the arms of a man she loves.
But for those who aren't so lucky, I am there."

Yves Saint Laurent

Originally published here.