Yves Saint Laurent and the elements of the sweet life. The story of a genius

The world-famous fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent, whose biography represents the path from success to success, was, as they say, the darling of fate. In the field of design, he reached the top.

Brilliant provincial

Almost everything is known about the king and trendsetter. “Singer of femininity”, founder of the unisex style - all kinds of titles was awarded to Yves Saint Laurent during his brilliant century, whose biography began in 1936 and ended in 2008. The future fashion designer was born in the city of Oran (Algeria, then a colony of France), in an aristocratic family . But, most importantly, respectful, friendly relations reigned in her. With love and friendliness from the very early years was surrounded by Yves Saint Laurent. The biography of the great master testifies that throughout his life he had immeasurably more friends than enemies.

Breaker of family traditions

From generation to generation in the Laurent family, men occupied legal positions, and, of course, the same path awaited little Yves, who more than anything in the world loved to draw in general, and in particular to invent and paint outfits for the dolls of his two younger sisters. The mother was able to see something in her son’s drawings, supported his passion in every possible way, and after graduating from school in Oran they left together for Paris in 1953. Without giving himself time to get acquainted with the delights of metropolitan life, the future couturier enters a school created by the Syndicate. He attends haute couture courses more than willingly, and here he learns and gets the opportunity to participate in a competition organized by the International Wool Syndicate.

Favorite of the Muses

Isn’t it amazing luck when a 17-year-old boy in the fashion capital of the world takes first place in an important competition? The little black afternoon dress or cocktail dress, which became one of the calling cards of the fashion genius, was created by him exactly then, in 1953.

Yves Saint Laurent, whose biography is full of wonderful coincidences, from this fateful moment becomes famous in the fashion world. A laudatory article appears about him in the magazine “Wok”, which is accompanied by sketches of the young provincial. The aspiring fashion designer sent three sketches to the competition, which won over the jury.

Two years later, Laurent takes part in another competition - Wolmark. And here his work is awarded the first prize, but he shares it with another young genius - Some researchers of Laurent’s life and work believe that it was from this moment that the friendship-rivalry of the two great trendsetters of world fashion began. Perhaps it was thanks to this competition that both of them reached Olympic heights in their field.

The beginning of a brilliant career

After this event, Christian Dior himself invited Laurent to his famous “House of Dior”, where Yves Saint Laurent worked during 1955-1957. Biography, creativity young man become interesting general public. Fans and connoisseurs of high fashion are beginning to closely follow his successes. Dior makes him his assistant. Their collaboration was very fruitful, despite the fact that the owner of the House of Dior was more focused on middle-aged women, and Laurent was more focused on young people.

In 1957, Dior suddenly died, and Laurent, at the age of 21, became director of the famous brand. In 1958, his first collection “Trapezium” was released, which created a sensation in the fashion world. Short A-line dresses have received a lot of approval. “Sensual elegance” - that’s how the press dubbed it new style, authored by Yves Saint Laurent. Biography, photos, details intimate life do not leave the pages of newspapers.

Black stripe

But there were difficult moments in the life of the trendsetter. He was drafted into the army and sent to Africa. Laurent, who dealt with refined beauty, could not stand the horrors of war. The doctors of the mental department of the military hospital treated the severe mental disorder with tranquilizers and at the same time another person was illegally appointed to the post of director of the House of Dior. Laurent starts and wins. He is paid a penalty of 700,000 francs. Victory over the offenders did not bring the couturier out of deep mental depression.

Luck again

Pierre Berger came to the rescue, with the help of whom in 1961, with the money of the American billionaire Mark Robins, “Yves Saint-Laurent” was opened, the rightful owner of which was Yves Saint Laurent. The biography of the great couturier did not end in suicide, attempts of which were made more than once. From this moment on, Yves Saint Laurent begins new life, full of creative success - he tirelessly comes up with new styles that go against the prevailing trends. The press calls him a fashion anarchist.

He undertakes bold experiments - girls with dark skin appear among the models, Laurent introduces women's trouser suits, safari jackets and transparent dresses into fashion.

New heights and well-deserved recognition

The YSL brand becomes extremely popular, and in 1964 he releases a perfume called Y. Women's tuxedos, which he introduced into fashion in 1966, become another of his business card. Then awards fell one after another, and the empire of Yves Saint Laurent became huge, capturing more and more new industries.

A camouflage-style collection he released at the height of vietnam war, brought the author the first Oscar and international recognition. The dandy style he introduced and women's perfume“Opium” raises Laurent to an unattainable height - he is the only fashion designer whose work was dedicated to a lifetime exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, followed in 1985 by another Oscar, this time for his successful and long-term work in the fashion world .

His muses were Catherine Deneuve and Maya Plisetskaya. The great designer said goodbye to the fashion world in 2002. His latest collection was shown on the stage of the Pompidou Center. Before reaching his 72nd birthday, the great Yves Saint Laurent died in 2008; biography, personal life, whose photos, like his famous collections, are widely available. The photo below shows the designer with two of his muses.

Summing up the rich and successful career designer can serve it famous phrase that in this life his only regret is that he did not invent jeans.

7 chosen

If it weren't for the heavy and long illness, who ended his life on the first day of summer 2008, tomorrow the whole world would strive to pay its respects to him on the occasion of his 77th birthday. And first of all - They...

They were always by his side, no matter what happened. Fate brought them together different times, but connected their life paths into one thanks to amazing world fashion, as well as such a concept as Inspiration...

He...

Yves Henri Donat Mathieu was born in a small but hot town on the edge of Algeria - Oran. A decent family, wealth, two beloved sisters, life in a villa on the seashore... But school years were not wonderful for Yves - the future couturier experienced all the delights of being a modest, shy young man with glasses in the company of more lively classmates.

Perhaps his peers simply could not understand how one could be seriously interested in fashion, sketches, dresses... And he... Together with his mother, Yves disappeared among the cuts, mannequins, frills, pins, braid and others sewing accessories. It was then that he realized what his destiny would be and where he could realize himself - his world is the world of Fashion. And the meeting with the editor Vogue completely turned his life upside down.

Yves' next step was to enroll in haute couture courses, collaborate and head the Fashion House Dior, a real revolution in it, opening your own business - a Fashion House Yves Saint Laurent and a sensation on catwalks around the world. Grandiose success, unexpected failures, search for inspiration, triumphant return and meeting them - his Muses...

Catherine Deneuve...

They met in 1965. He is a world famous couturier. She's just getting used to fame after success Cherbourg umbrellas(1964) young actress. She appeared on the threshold of his Fashion House with a page from a magazine Elle, which featured a photo of a dress from last year’s collection YSL. She chose it for her upcoming visit to the Queen of England - long, made of white crepe with red embroidery.

This visit was the beginning of a long, sincere friendship. At all important events, gala evenings and receptions, premieres, the actress appeared exclusively in toilets from Yves Saint Laurent. Moreover, having received the next script, Catherine often insisted that Yves handle the costumes for the film.

Catherine remained faithful to Yves until the designer's death. " During his career, he sewed no more than a couple of dozen dresses especially for me., she shared with Paris Match in 1995. - These were high-profile occasions - the Cesar ceremony or the Cannes Film Festival. The rest of the time I simply chose from what he presented on the catwalk in his ready-to-wear and haute couture collections. Sometimes I asked to change the color of this or that dress to one that was more suitable for a blonde, but nothing more. No one has ever forced me to wear a Yves Saint Laurent dress in my life. The desire to be in his outfits was born within me and still gives me pleasure".

In fact, Catherine made such an impression on Yves and captivated him that a year after they met, he created his new collection especially for her. And a year later, Catherine had a “colleague” - Yves met his new muse...

Betty Catroux...

She was a young lady main goal whose life was not to work. She led a lifestyle familiar to bohemian youth - she slept during the day, and at night she wasted time and money in nightclubs. It was there that Yves met her. He was attracted by Betty's androgynous appearance... And her complete disregard for fashion.

Betty was, to put it mildly, drunk. And, despite the fact that she had been moving in fashion circles for a long time and was familiar with Coco Chanel, Iva did not recognize her that evening. And to his offer to become his model, she answered in monosyllables: “No.” Perhaps this is what captivated the couturier.

They became close friends who suffered together, and a second later they were ready to start dancing. They woke up in the morning only to figure out what to do in the evening. And they never talked about fashion.

"Yves is a tormented soul, he could be absolutely happy for five minutes, and then absolutely miserable. But it was moments of sadness that served as inspiration for him, Betty recalled. - We never talked about fashion. I hate fashion. We just talked about how we felt and what we thought. I don’t want to seem vain, but designers have always been around me. Perhaps this happened precisely because I don’t like fashion. People often ask me if I've ever worked for Yves, but to be honest, I'm no good at anything, and Yves didn't need my help. Most likely, it was my boyish style that inspired and pushed him to use masculine aesthetics in women's collections".

They were both like children - under the care of their loved ones. Betty was taken care of by her husband, and Iva was taken care of by Him...

Pierre Berger...

Having appeared once in the life of young Yves, Pierre always remained nearby. Yves didn't want to grow up. Eternal childhood was his fairy tale, and Pierre tried to make it come true for his lover. Both in sadness and in joy - they were always together.

Pierre is from the island of Oleron. He graduated from the Lycée Eugène Fromentin in La Rochelle and went to Paris.

Yves Saint Laurent is a name known to everyone, even those who are not familiar with the world of high fashion. He was a great fashion designer, fashion artist, a man who changed the course of the history of the fashion industry.
The brilliant fashion designer Yves Henri Donat Mathieu Saint Laurent was born in 1936 in Algeria, in the city of Oran. His family were hereditary lawyers, but the boy was only interested in working with fabric. Even in at a young age he created sketches and sewed doll-sized dresses.
When the family of the future fashion designer moved to Paris, by that time Yves had graduated from school and began working part-time as a clothing designer and stylist. He was a regular participant in design competitions. In 1953, he managed to take third place in one of these competitions and met the editor-in-chief of the French division of Vogue magazine.
He advised Yves Saint Laurent to enroll in a design course, and after some time introduced him to the famous fashion designer Christian Dior. A year later, the young designer showed his first collection at a fashion competition in Germany and won three out of seven awards, beating up-and-coming German young designer Karl Lagerfeld. From that moment on, a long-term rivalry between the two fashion designers began.

Yves Saint Laurent. Fashion designer career

Christian Dior took on 19-year-old Laurent as his junior assistant at the House of Dior. While working under the guidance of the maestro, Yves Saint Laurent created sketches of exquisite accessories, which he showed to Dior. From year to year, more and more sketches were realized and demonstrated on the podium.
Yves Saint Laurent was 21 years old when Christan Dior died. He takes the place of mentor and becomes the chief designer of the House of Dior. Having become the heir of the legendary fashion designer, Saint Laurent presents his first collection. He introduced the “trapezoid” shape, which freed the women’s wardrobe from excessive pretentiousness and a strict waist. This became a revolution in fashion, and the press wrote about this event that “the great traditions of the House of Dior continue to live” even after the death of the head of the company.
At that time, Yves Saint Laurent achieved stunning success. However, thanks to his rebellious spirit, his career was doomed to have ups and downs. In 1960, the fashion designer presented his new collection called Beatnik. The main attributes of the show were luxurious mink coats with narrow knitted sleeves, suits with turtlenecks and short leather jackets. It was defiantly luxurious, but the House of Dior was not ready for such changes.
Dior's overly conservative management fired Yves Saint Laurent and hired another designer in his place. It became for him with a strong blow, which Pierre Berger helped him cope with. Together they also managed to sue a huge amount for illegal termination of the contract with the House of Dior. It was Pierre Berger who was destined to become Saint Laurent's friend, support and lover for life.
After Yves Saint Laurent left Dior, he joined the army, but the fragile and sensual guy could not stand even a year and ended up in the psychiatric ward of a military hospital, which broke him. But even here Pierre Berger came to the rescue.
With the money won in court, Saint Laurent opens his own fashion house, Yves Saint Laurent. From this moment it began great story under the sign of three golden letters - YSL.
Today there are 7 distinctive looks of the YSL House:
1. Mondrian dresses with a characteristic decor in the form of large colored cells
2. Safari style
3. Women's tuxedo style suit
4. Pantsuit
5. Thin transparent shirt
6. Long and loose skirt combined with a caftan (“Russian Seasons”)
7. Ethno-African motifs in clothing
In 1966, the first YSL Rive Gauche pret-a-porter boutique opened. It was the first boutique of its kind in the history of the fashion industry. Everything was displayed there: clothes, jewelry, accessories and perfume. The Yves Saint Laurent fashion house began to generate millions in revenue and turned into an empire.
But since the late 80s, trademark Yves Saint Laurent began a real crisis. I had to sell part of the shares to third-party companies, which had a very bad effect on the quality of execution. Suffering from multiple illnesses, drug addiction and an unhealthy lifestyle, Yves Saint Laurent handed over the leadership of the company to fashion designer Albert Elbaz, and then left the fashion world to lead a secluded lifestyle and rarely appear in public.
The legendary fashion designer and designer Yves Saint Laurent died on June 1, 2008 in Paris. He had brain cancer.

Yves Saint Laurent. Personal life

The talented fashion designer devoted almost his entire life to high fashion. He was almost always busy drawing sketches and creating new models. In his spare time, Yves loved to pose for his friend's paintings. He could also often be found in fashionable clubs.
While still young, Yves Saint Laurent became addicted to grass and soft drugs. This greatly affected his well-being and health. Perhaps, with a different lifestyle, he would still be alive today.
The fact that he was in a psychiatric hospital also had a strong impact. The fashion designer suffered from manic-depressive syndrome, he was very worried about it, and it caused him a lot of suffering.
The couturier has always been the love of his life alone the only man- Pierre Berger.

This man helped him in literally everything; they lived, worked and rested together. One day Berger cheated on him with a fashion model. Laurent responded by betraying him with Jacques De Bascher. After this, they separated, but continued to work together.

Yves Saint Laurent, born on August 1, 1936 in Algeria, was supposed to practice law, but thanks to the support of his mother, in 1954 he went to Paris, to school at the Syndicate of Haute Couture.

Almost immediately after admission, he presented a cocktail dress at one of the competitions for aspiring designers. Yves Saint Laurent shared his first victory with Karl Lagerfeld - they were the ones who got the prize.

All photos 14

Saint Laurent's talent was noticed, and a year later he became Christian Dior's assistant and at the same time an apprentice tailor at the house of Christian Dior.

Next came fast career– Yves Saint Laurent, who took over as art director of the House after the death of Christian Dior, presented his first collection, for which he received the prestigious Neiman Marcus Oscar. It was in this collection that trapeze dresses could be seen for the first time - one of the first innovations of Yves Saint Laurent.

The morning after the show, the newspapers were full of headlines: “Yves Saint Laurent saved France, the Dior tradition will be continued!”

In 1960, Yves Saint Laurent was drafted into the army. But the hardships military service ended up in the psychiatric ward of a military hospital, where he was treated with shock therapy and tranquilizers.

Yves could not speak and weighed only 40 kg when Pierre Berger appeared in his life. He became for Saint Laurent not only a lover, but also true friend and an assistant in business. It was he who ensured that his ward was released from the army, and helped the young designer found his own fashion house, Yves Saint Laurent, in January 1962.

Four years later, the designer introduced the world to Le Smoking, a women's version of the tailcoat suit. The tuxedo not only instantly won the hearts of women, but also completely revolutionized the fashion of that time.

Yves Saint Laurent began to actively introduce the trouser suit into the lives of women. In the same year, the designer opened his first boutique, Rive Gauche, named after what was then considered a refuge for anarchists on the left bank of the Seine, making another revolution - the store sold everyday clothes, in no way inferior to evening clothes.

Thus, Yves Saint Laurent democratized haute couture.

At the same time, androgynous models appeared at Saint Laurent’s shows and photo shoots – the kind we see on the catwalks now.

Thin girls with combed-back hair demonstrated feminine strength and capabilities. The trend was supported by Karl Lagerfeld, and Helmut Newton sang them in his numerous photographs, which later also turned into classics.

By 1970, Saint Laurent was also credited with inventing the peacoat (1962), sheer blouses (1966) and overalls (1968).

The designer loved to use transparent materials, for which he was repeatedly attacked. The invention of the pea coat became a kind of symbol of the House of Yves Saint Laurent, reflecting the master’s ability to mix high fashion, art and everyday things, turning them into legend.

Among Saint Laurent's countless inventions is the safari-inspired jacket, which became a sensation. His African (1967) and Russian (1976) collections are still considered one of the most important in the history of fashion and one of the best in the designer’s work.

It was Yves Saint Laurent who introduced the fashion for stunning evening dresses, experimenting with them, but never forgetting about femininity and grace. Special attention deserve wedding dresses YSl.

In January 2002, Yves Saint Laurent retired due to numerous health problems. A few months earlier, he had broken both arms during a trip to Palermo and lost the main pleasure of his life - the opportunity to draw.

Subsequently, the designer’s health deteriorated, and he practically stopped attending social events.

IN last minutes On Sunday morning, his friends were with him - Pierre Berger, muse Betty Catroux and Philippe Mougnier, who took care of Saint Laurent's health lately. Catherine Deneuve arrived minutes after his death on June 1, 2008.

In memory of the great couturier as part of the Sundance Film Festival, which takes place annually in winter at the famous American ski resort Aspen, in 2009 two films were shown at once - the work of the French cinematographer David Teboul called Yves Saint Laurent: His Life and Times and the picture Yves Saint Laurent: 5 Avenue Marceau 75116 Paris.

Both films are dedicated to the life and work of the legendary designer.

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06.05.15 12:12

Claiming: “Style is me,” the French wizard regretted that he had not invented jeans. Not even following fashion trends the person knows that it was he, Yves Saint Laurent, who “invented” the legendary perfume “Opium”. The biography of the couturier, like any of us, knew light and dark streaks, a rapid rise and a long, painful decline. It all started with the fact that a 21-year-old newcomer was invited to manage the Dior fashion house.

Biography of Yves Saint Laurent

Born in a French colony

He was born far from European fashion centers - in Algeria - on August 1, 1936. Later the family moved to France, and Yves Henri Donat Mathieu Saint Laurent settled in Paris at the age of 17. He took courses in fashion design, and in 1955 he was able to get a job as an assistant to Christian Dior himself. He turned out to be a very capable young man, and when the master died suddenly in 1957, it was Saint Laurent who was offered the post of artistic director. A year later, he presented his first personal collection of women's clothing to the pampered metropolitan public.

Legendary "YSL"

Soon the young man was drafted into the army. He was sent to Africa, but military biography Yves Saint Laurent did not work out. Less than three weeks had passed since the impressionable recruit experienced nervous breakdown, was sent home, and then treated in a psychiatric hospital.

Having secured investments from the famous American tycoon Mark Robinson, the aspiring couturier opened his own fashion house. He was assisted by his partner, Pierre Berger. They came up with the “YSL” logo and, having started work in 1961, entered the world market with their first collection a year later.

Revolutionary "haute couture"

The French genius turned out to be a true haute couture revolutionary. Being a homosexual, he adored androgynous images and hired very thin, boy-like models. He “gave” women boots and a tuxedo, working in a “unisex” style. And yet, it was this designer who decided to put dark-skinned beauties on the catwalk.

Huge success awaited the couturier in 1965 - this year's collection was inspired by the work of the Dutchman Piet Mondrian. The Dutchman professed the same techniques as Kandinsky and Malevich, so abstractionism reigned on the models of Yves Saint Laurent.

Cult perfume

In the early 1970s, the designer began to expand his sphere of influence and began producing perfumes under his own brand. First, perfumes were born, the names for which were suggested by the area of ​​the French capital - a refuge for bohemians, Rive Gauche. And for the sake of advertising a men's fragrance, the fashion designer organized his own nude photo shoot.

The cult perfume “Opium” appeared in 1977 and created a real sensation. This oriental fragrance still remains popular among ladies who know their worth.

Drawing inspiration from ballet

Another bright page in the biography of Yves Saint Laurent is the costumes he invented for ballet performances. He was a big fan of the choreography of the magnificent Roland Petit, and collaborated with him on the play “Cathedral Notre Dame of Paris" Maya Plisetskaya dressed in a “miracle from Saint Laurent” while performing “The Death of the Rose,” and Petit’s wife, dancer Zizi Jeanmer, was delighted with the costumes that the master came up with for her numbers.

But the French film star Catherine Deneuve was proud of her friendship with the master, the charming blonde inspired Saint Laurent to new discoveries, and he gladly “packed” her beauty into his outfits.

Nothing lasts forever

At the peak of his fame, Yves Saint Laurent became a laureate of the International Award of the Council of Fashion Designers of the United States, an exhibition was dedicated to him at the legendary Metropolitan Museum, and then, in his homeland, he was awarded the Order of the Legion of Honor. But his stormy youth and bohemian life were not in vain; already in his early fifties, Yves’ health was very seriously compromised. He tried to be treated for addiction to alcohol and drugs, which also did not have a very good effect on the business. In the 1990s, the fashion house of Yves Saint Laurent was experiencing a crisis; the master himself almost retired, entrusting the collections to his successor (this was the aspiring couturier Alber Elbaz).

In 2002, he almost never appeared in public - he felt very bad, and he died in 2008, the first summer. On June 5, half of Paris came to say goodbye to legendary fashion designer, traffic in the area of ​​Rue Saint-Honoré was blocked.

Personal life of Yves Saint Laurent

Love to death

At the age of 22, Yves Saint Laurent met Pierre Berger. They became both business partners and lovers. It was Berger who secured huge investments from billionaire Robinson in his and Saint Laurent’s future brainchild – the Fashion House. These romantic relationship stopped in 1976. One of the reasons is called Berger's jealousy. Allegedly, Yves Saint Laurent destroyed his personal life himself by becoming infatuated with Lagerfeld’s boyfriend Jacques De Bascher. Pierre did not forgive the betrayal, but retained his creative union with the fashion designer. And almost before his friend’s death, he even agreed to marry Yves.

When inspiration was overflowing

The ups and downs of Yves Saint Laurent's personal life and his inspired creativity are shown in two biopics, released almost simultaneously (in 2014). Both of them are French-made. In the film "Yves Saint Laurent", shown at the Cannes Film Festival, the couturier is played by Pierre Ninet. And in the film “Saint Laurent. “Style is me,” the role of the famous compatriot is played by the talented Gaspard Ulliel.