Saint Laurent Paris: The Iconic History Of Yves Saint Laurent

Brief Overview:

• French Luxury Fashion House
• Founder: Yves Saint Laurent (1936 – 2008) & Pierre Bergé (1930 – 2017)
• Founded: 1961 
• Innovations:
  • First couturier to open a ready-to-wear boutique under his name. 
  • Championed diversity: one of the first designers to feature women of colour on the runway
  • Popularised women’s trousers and introduced the haute peasant look
  • The first living designer to be honoured by the Metropolitan Museum of Art
  • One of the first designers to bring art and fashion together
• Haute Couture Design House
• Androgyny, Sensuality, Art & Sharp Tailoring

Yves Saint Laurent Quotes:

• “We must never confuse elegance with snobbery.”
• “I have always believed that fashion was not only to make women more beautiful, but also to reassure them, give them confidence.”
• “I prefer to shock rather than to bore through repetition.”
• “The most beautiful makeup of a woman is passion. But cosmetics are easier to buy.”
• “Over the years I have learned that what is important in a dress is the woman who is wearing it.”

Ford took a whole new take on YSL’s vision. His debut collection only showed monochromatic looks without any accessories that Saint Laurent had perfected over the years. It was known that the relationship between YSL and Ford was rocky; Ford accused Saint Laurent of not approving of his vision for the brand. Despite the criticism Ford received, the designs he launched were well received by customers as their sales soared.
Ford left to launch his own label, and Stefano Pilati (former Miu Miu designer) filled his position as creative director. Pilati’s debut collection in SS05 featured a feminine silhouette not reminiscent of the styles YSL had become famed for. Yves Saint Laurent died in 2008, and Pilati was replaced by Hedi Slimane in 2012.
Slimane made the most notable changes to the label, being the one to famously strip ‘Yves’ from the label’s name and choosing for the brand to go forward as ‘Saint Laurent Paris.’ Many still refer to the brand as YSL, but the brand’s official name is currently ‘Saint Laurent Paris.’ Slimane is responsible for Saint Laurent’s current aesthetic; rock, edgy glamour; metallics, leather jackets and biker boots. He ensured to emphasise the message of gender fluidity that was introduced by Yves Saint Laurent by fusing men’s and womenswear. The brand is now a true testament to youth culture. Slimane also announced the reintroduction of the couture line to the label in 2015, which had been laid to rest since Yves Saint Laurent bowed out in 2002. However, in a shock announcement, Anthony Vaccarello took over Slimane’s position as creative director in 2016.

Vaccarello’s vision of the label lies somewhere in the middle between Yves’s original designs and Slimane’s fresh interpretation of the brand’s direction. Vaccarello has also maintained the brand’s name as ‘Saint Laurent Paris.’

‘Le Smoking’

In 1966 YSL launched a black tuxedo exclusively as an item of women’s eveningwear which donned the title ‘Le Smoking’. There were barriers in fashion and French society where it was believed that women could not wear long trousers in public. Despite the polarity, YSL’s launch of the women’s tuxedo was a success among fashion enthusiasts. Despite this success, not everyone was willing to accept the sudden change in social etiquette and the ‘Le Smoking’ suits were seen as an act of rebellion. Luxury restaurants refused to serve women who arrived at their venues wearing suits. Nan Kemper was famously denied entry to Le Côte Basque (New York) as she wore the iconic YSL tuxedo, so she took off the trousers, wore the blazer as a mini dress, and walked in. Pierre Berge spoke on his partner’s polarising invention, saying, “If Gabrielle Chanel brings women to freedom, Yves Saint Laurent gives women freedom — gives them power”. Hedi Slimane reintroduced the iconic design back to the house, and the style continues to be favoured under Vaccarello’s direction.

Sheer Blouses & Dresses

Yves Saint Laurent famously said, “Nothing is more beautiful than a naked body.” In 1966 he introduced his first sheer look in which he made the female chest visible.
This fuelled the development of the nude look. In 1968 Yves designed a see-through chiffon dress accessorised with an ostrich feather belt.
YSL was a big believer in women’s empowerment, and the sheer look was a surefire haute couture way to assert equality between the sexes. During these times, the miniskirt was also on the rise and seen as a rebellion, but YSL added fuel to the fire by allowing models to go braless underneath sheer blouses and dresses on the runway. These designs were incredibly revolutionary as the 60s was a very conservative time in womenswear fashion history.

Yves Saint Laurent’s Art Influences

In 1983, YSL became the first living live haute couture designer to have his designs showcased at the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This came as no surprise as Yves Saint Laurent was influenced by many painters throughout history and gained respect from the art world because of the homage he paid to many historical artists in his designs. His showcase at the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art paved the way for other fashion-related shows at art museums throughout the world.
YSL created the ‘Mondrian dress’ inspired by Piet Mondrian’s paintings and debuted six styles in his A/W65 collection to pay homage to the dutch painter. He later created designs inspired by Pop Art and launched a collection to pay tribute to Pop Art artists, particularly Tom Wesselmann; doing so enabled YSL to blur the lines between high art and low culture. YSL continued to create collections inspired by high art and launched an haute couture collection of dresses in his 1988 Spring Summer collection to pay homage to Picasso, Van Gogh, Matisse and Braque’s work.