Yves Saint-Laurent

Jun 3 2008 by David Charters, Liverpool Daily Post

TO YOUNG British men, boldly splashing their chips with curry, he was that French bloke with the unpronounceable name, who put girls in trousers.

However, to those girls, he was a liberating force, whose clothes kept pace with the changing role of women, as fashion joined music in expressing the mood of a generation, emerging from the ruins of war.

He understood the female form, but, even more importantly, he sympathised with their desires. So his sailors’ peacoats, safari jackets and tuxedos were all given a chic style.

In this way, Yves Saint Laurent became one of the most familiar brands in the world – as much part of French culture as the Eiffel Tower, Brigitte Bardot, Coco Chanel, Johnny Hallyday and Sacha Distel.

Saint Laurent was born in Oran, in what was then the French colony of Algeria, the son of a prosperous shipping executive.

The boy, who had a quiet manner and delicate feelings, began drawing clothes, almost as an escape from the world. When only 17, his design for a cocktail dress won a prize in a contest sponsored by the International Wool Secretariat.

By 1954, he had left home to enter the Chambre Syndicate school of haute couture. His blossoming talent was drawn to the attention of Christian Dior, who hired him on the spot.

Saint Laurent was hailed as the new wonder boy and, when Dior died in 1957, he was named as head of the House of Dior.

The following year, he launched what was dubbed the “Trapeze Line”, a dress with narrow shoulders and a wide, swinging skirt. It was a triumph and women tossed away their suffocating corsets.

However, this was but a prelude to a dramatic and traumatic episode for the tender young man. Simmering tensions had exploded into violence in Algeria. Saint Laurent was drafted into the French Army, an experience which, after three weeks, led to him being treated in mental hospital for the depression that would continue to haunt him. Drugs featured in his life.

Although he remained a reclusive figure, Saint Laurent was one of fashion’s greatest names. He sold his boutiques Rive Gauche (Left Bank) in 1999.

In 1971, he had posed, wearing only a floppy hat and glasses, to promote his fragrances. Further controversy followed his decision to market a line of perfume as Opium.

Yves Saint Laurent, fashion designer; born August 1, 1936, died June 1, 2008.