Yves Saint Laurent

Yves Saint Laurent, or YSL, is a luxury fashion house that was founded by Yves Saint Laurent and his partner, Pierre Bergé, in 1962. Historically, Yves Saint Laurent is credited with spurring couture rise from the sixties - making ready-to-wear reputable. During his active years, Saint Laurent was known for his taste of refined and modern elegance. The YSL line glamorized items taken from the male wardrobe, such as the blazer, the tuxedo, the pant suit, and leather jacket. During the 1970s, the firm popularized fashion trends such as the beatnik look, safari jackets, tight pants, and thigh-high boots. Many applauded the YSL for creating the most famous classic tuxedo suit for women in 1966, Le Smoking suit. Yves Saint Laurent, himself, started mainstreaming the idea of wearing silhouettes from the 1920s, '30s and '40s. As an innovator, he was also the first designer to use black models in his catwalk shows. In 1999, Gucci bought the YSL brand and asked Tom Ford to design the ready-to-wear collection while Saint-Laurent designed the haute couture collection. In 2002, bothered by years of poor health, substance abuse, depression, criticisms of his designs, Saint-Laurent closed the illustrious couture house of YSL. While the house no longer exists, the brand still survives through its parent company Gucci. The prêt-à-porter line is still being produced under the direction of Stefano Pilati, an Italian designer. Pilati’s style is decidedly more French than the overtly sexy image that Tom Ford perpetuated in the previous years. Yves Saint Laurent passed away in 2008, leaving a fashion legacy. Celebrities that have worn YSL creations are Lindsay Lohan, Sarah Jessica Parker, Chloe Sevigny, Liv Tyler, and Jessica Alba. Yves Saint Laurent clothing is available at most Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus stores. Limited apparel is also available on the online boutique at ysl.com.

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