Yves saint laurent designer biography examples

He grows up in a villa on the Mediterranean where he develops an early interest in fashion. YSL enjoys making intricate paper dolls, and in his early teens he designs clothes for his mother and sisters. He submits three sketches and wins first prize. During his first stay in Paris at the age of 17, he meets the editor-in-chief of Vogue ParisMichel de Brunhoff, with whom he continues to correspond after his return to Oran.

He wins first prize, which brings him to the attention of Christian Dior. Laurent, was an attorney, while his mother, Lucienne-Andree St. Laurent, looked after Yves and his younger sisters, Michele and Brigitte. A quiet, emotional, and introspective child, he showed little interest in sports or reading, preferring to create visual art by designing miniature stage sets and costumes.

Following the wishes of his father, St. Laurent applied himself to his secondary studies, earning his baccalaureat degree at the Lycee d'Oran in By this point, it had become clear to his parents that St. Laurent's talents lay someplace other than the law. In fact, despite being untrained in fashion or design, one of his sketches had been awarded third place in the annual International Wool Secretariat contest held in Paris in He was encouraged to travel to Paris, his portfolio of fashion and costume sketches and a letter of recommendation to Michel de Brunhoff in hand.

Brunhoff, then editor-in-chief of the French edition of Vogue magazine, was a powerful arbiter of fashion, and he was impressed by St. Laurent's sense of style and a sophistication surprising in one so young. The editor was also struck by several of St. Laurent's designs, which were similar to some Brunhoff had seen in the upcoming collection of consummate designer Christian Dior.

It was obvious that the two men must meet. Dior had been the reining king of high fashion sincewhen his first collection had impressed Paris runway crowds with its sleek lines. When he met St. Laurent in and studied his portfolio of sketches, he understood what Brunhoff had seen: a similar sophistication and style. Laurent's success at the International Wool Secretariat— three first-place awards out of a possible four—convinced Dior to take an interest in the young fashion designer.

Inat the age of 19, St. Laurent found himself working as an assistant in the most prestigious design firm in the world: the House of Dior. The world of high fashion in the mid-twentieth century was a competitive one, dominated by a few top "names" who based their design houses in Paris. His affiliation with Dior, as well as his obvious talent, quickly elevated St.

Laurent to more than just an assistant. When Dior passed away suddenly in Octoberit was no surprise that St. Laurent was quickly named to the position of chief designer of the House of Dior. Some feared that the House would fall upon its namesake's death—and with it the jobs of over 2, people. Laurent's yves saint laurent designer biography examples assuaged any such pessimism.

His "Trapeze" collection, which featured a dress cut narrow at the shoulders and then swinging out in an "A" line at a new, refreshing shorter skirt length, impressed runway crowds and was quickly picked up by manufacturers. At the gala following the successful showing, St. Laurent was introduced to Pierre Berge, a young man with a talent for business.

Despite, or perhaps because of their differing temperaments, the quiet, high-strung designer and the savvy, public-minded businessman would become lovers and eventual business partners. Credited for saving the House of Dior from ruin, St. Laurent grew more confident in his talents. The conservative Dior following viewed his designs, with their curved lines and longer, hobbled skirts, as controversial.

However, by the following summer, a more feminine look graced Dior's lithe runway models. Unfortunately, by the fall of the house's chief designer was removed from his post, not through lack of popularity but because of France's mandatory requirement of 27 months of military service. Suffering from a nervous breakdown only months into his required service, St.

Laurent was hospitalized. Berge aided his recovery by encouraging the designer to do costume work for several Paris theatre productions. While the House of Dior, unwilling to risk its future on the recovering designer, dismissed St. Mack Robinson as start-up funds for a new design house: the first Yves St. Laurent haute couture collection debuted on January 29, Over the next several years, St.

Laurent would introduce many collections via the Paris fashion runways, each with a trademark theme, and each accompanied by a gala party to which fashion magazine editors, buyers, and wealthy arbiters of modern fashion would flock to see and be seen. Some, like his "Arc" line created while he was still at the House of Dior in latewould rouse only lukewarm enthusiasm.

Others, such as his "Mondrian" dress designs of and the trouser suits, menswear look, and safari-styled jackets of the late s and s, quickly found their way to upscale versions in major department stores worldwide. The popularity of the St. Laurent look was further aided by the designer's close association with actress Catherine Deneuve, and his costume designs for the Louis Bunuel film Belle de jour.

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During the s and s, design houses expanded their creative efforts beyond textiles, and introduced fragrances to a public eager to adopt all that a "name" designer had to offer. While his women's fragrances, "Y", "Rive Gauche," and "Opium"—released in, and respectively—were newsworthy, St. Laurent's move into the men's market made the news outside fashion circles.

While his first showing of men's clothing had occurred during the runway season, his "YSL for Men" line of fragrances was marketed through a photograph of the designer sans any fashion at all. This nude photograph of St. Laurent, while appreciated for its aesthetic merits and adopted as an icon by gays during the s, infuriated many in the fashion community and was banned from the pages of several periodicals.

High fashion was traditionally produced as a collection of one-of-a-kind garments designed to catch the eye of the press and those few wealthy individuals able to afford them. The new "styles" filtered down to mainstream markets through the manufacturers that incorporated them into their own lines. During the s several noted designers had begun to market a line of pret-a-porter or ready-to-wear clothes: garments bearing a designer label but mass-produced for marketing to less affluent consumers.

InBerge and St. Laurent also made the move to pret-a-porter, opening the first St. Laurent Rive Gauche showroom. In conjunction with this effort to woo a more mainstream consumer, St. Laurent's designs began to stabilize along classic lines, his more creative efforts now focused on theatrical costumes designed for theatres in Paris and New York.

One exception to this was his collection, which he based on the colorful, abstract costumes created for the Ballet Russe by painter Leon Bakst in the s. While St. Laurent had suffered from health problems in the late s, he continued to produce lavish shows through the end of the decade. However, in the late s and into the next decade rumors began circulating that he had contracted AIDS.

While his public appearances at shows and parties repeatedly put such rumors to rest, it was noted that such appearances by the designer were becoming less and less frequent. However, through the efforts of Berge, the Yves St. Laurent name continued to flourish, through licensing arrangements with manufacturers, advertising campaigns, and the establishment of Rive Gauche boutiques in several major cities, including New York.

The relationship between the St. Laurent and Berge had become strained, due in part to a change in their personal relationship. Although they appeared in public together as honors were heaped upon them for their joint accomplishment in building the Yves St. Laurent name, by the late s the interests of the two men had become diametrically opposed.

He managed to secure an exemption based on health grounds, but when he returned to Paris, Saint Laurent found that his job with Dior had disappeared. The news, at first, was traumatic for the young, fragile designer.

Yves saint laurent designer biography examples: Yves Saint Laurent was

The money and the freedom soon presented Saint Laurent with a unique opportunity. In cooperation with his partner and lover, Pierre Berge, the designer resolved to open his own fashion house. With the rise of pop culture and a general yearning for original, fresh designs, Saint Laurent's timing couldn't have been better. Over the next two decades, Saint Laurent's designs sat atop the fashion world.

Models and actresses gushed over his creations. He outfitted women in blazers and smoking jackets, and introduced attire like the pea coat to the runway. His signature pieces also included the sheer blouse and the jumpsuit. By the s, Saint Laurent was a true icon. He became the first designer to have a retrospective on his work at the Metropolitan Museum in New York City.

After his release from the hospital in NovemberSaint Laurent sued Dior for breach of yves saint laurent designer biography examples and won. Mack Robinson[ 37 ] cosmetics company Charles of the Ritz, and others. His debut collection, presented for springincluded early examples of the cut-outs that would be popular in fashion in a few years, [ 42 ] but it received mixed reviews.

In the s, Saint Laurent introduced or contributed to fashion trends such as the beatnik look[ 48 ] [ 49 ] pea coats[ 50 ] smock tops[ 51 ] thigh-high bootsvia his chosen shoe designer Roger Vivier[ 52 ] [ 53 ] the Le Smoking women's tuxedo suit[ 54 ] [ 55 ] and safari jackets for men and women Yves Saint Laurent brought in new changes to the fashion industry in the 60s and the 70s.

One of the purposes was to provide a wider range of fashionable styles being available to choose from in the market, as they were affordable and cheaper. The first customer was Catherine Deneuve. During the s, Saint Laurent came to be considered the most prominent designer in the world, [ 66 ] [ 67 ] [ 68 ] [ 69 ] [ 70 ] adapting his designs to modern women's needs.

Many of his collections were positively received by both his fans and the press, such as the autumn collection, which introduced Le Smoking tailored tuxedo suit, and his Mondrian collection. Other collections raised controversy, such as his spring collection, which was inspired by s fashion. Though s and '40s revival had been a trend among some London designers like Ossie Clark since the late sixties [ 83 ] and although Saint Laurent had presented a few s looks late in the previous year, [ 84 ] for a designer of his stature to devote an entire couture collection to the s raised some hackles.

The French newspaper France Soir called the spring collection "Une grande farce! During the s and s, Saint Laurent was considered one of Paris's " jet set ". Yves Saint Laurent was a great admirer of Marcel Proust who had been a frequent guest of Gaston Gallimardone of the previous owners of the villa. He increasingly turned to alcohol and drugs.

Following his introduction of the big-shoulder-pad looks [ 91 ] that would dominate the s, he relied on a restricted set of styles based largely on big-shouldered jackets and narrow skirts and trousers [ 92 ] [ 93 ] that didn't vary much during the decade, [ 94 ] [ 95 ] [ 96 ] [ 97 ] resulting in some fashion writers bemoaning the loss of his former inventiveness [ 98 ] [ 99 ] [ ] and others welcoming the familiarity.

Although the line remained popular with his fans, it was soon dismissed as "boring" by the press. A favorite among his female clientele, Saint Laurent had numerous muses that inspired his work.

Yves saint laurent designer biography examples: Yves Mathieu-Saint-Laurent was born

InSaint Laurent became the first living fashion designer to be honored by the Metropolitan Museum of Art with a solo exhibition. Saint Laurent retired in and became increasingly reclusive. Saint Laurent died on 1 June of brain cancer at his residence in Paris. In Februaryan auction of items was held by Christie's at the Grand Palaisranging from paintings by Picasso to ancient Egyptian sculptures.

Before the sale commenced, the Chinese government tried to stop the sale of two of twelve bronze statue heads taken from the Old Summer Palace in China during the Second Opium War. He then donated them to China in a ceremony on 29 June On the first day of the sale, Henri Matisse 's painting Les coucous, tapis bleu et rose broke the previous world record set in for a Matisse work and sold for 32 million euros.

Yves saint laurent designer biography examples: a French fashion designer

The record-breaking sale realized Forbes rated Saint Laurent the top-earning dead celebrity in This exhibition highlighted his connections to various art forms and his ability to blend fashion with artistic expression. His house in his hometown of Oran, where he lived until the age of 18, was bought by an Oran entrepreneur named Mohamed Affane.

He restored and transformed it into a museum, which has been open since July Around sketches by Yves Saint-Laurent are exhibited, along with childhood photos of the designer. Contents move to sidebar hide. Article Talk. Read Edit View history. Tools Tools. Download as PDF Printable version. In other projects. Wikimedia Commons Wikiquote Wikidata item.

French fashion designer — OranFrench Algeria present-day Algeria. ParisFrance. Early life [ edit ]. Personal life and early career [ edit ]. Young designer [ edit ]. Conscription and illness [ edit ]. YSL [ edit ]. Later life [ edit ]. Death [ edit ]. Legacy [ edit ]. Museum [ edit ]. In popular culture [ edit ]. On film [ edit ]. Television [ edit ].

Books [ edit ]. See also [ edit ]. References [ edit ]. Agence France-Presse via Nine News. Retrieved 12 June The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 4 June Retrieved 24 July Retrieved 20 May Retrieved 4 November Retrieved 7 June Retrieved 23 July Retrieved 23 October Yves Saint Laurent: A Biography. Nan A. ISSN Retrieved 23 May Dior based much of his Libre line on two classic items of clothing[:] ISBN X.

Yves Saint Laurent Vogue History of 20th Century Fashion. London, England: Viking, the Penguin Group. ISBN For the nation's largest industry, the well-being of its most prominent couture house was of great social and economic importance Saint Laurent's first collection Saint Laurent's [T]rapeze line, backbone of his successful first collection for Dior.

Saint Laurent's first collection introduced a new silhouette, the wedge-shaped 'Trapeze' Dior produces his new A line, a triangle widened from a small head and shoulders to a full pleated or stiffened hem. The waistline was the cross bar of the A and could be positioned either under the bust in an Empire manner or low down on the hips.