Do you know who invented the legendary Opium perfume? It was Yves Saint Laurent. The biography of the great couturier is of interest to many today. Information about his childhood, youth, career and love relationships is available in our article. Enjoy reading!
Yves Saint Laurent: biography, childhood
He was born in 1936, on August 1. The birthplace of the famous couturier is not France at all, but Algeria. His childhood and youth passed in the town of Oran. Our hero was brought up in an intelligent and respected family. Yves Saint Laurent's father worked as an insurance agent. And his mother was a housewife.
The future fashion designer studied first at a college, then at a lyceum. Both of these institutions were located in the city of Oran. At the age of 8, Yves became seriously interested in drawing. He devoted a lot of time to this occupation.
At the age of 11, theater appeared in his life. Yves liked to try on different costumes, create new images. At the age of 14, he began to arrange home puppet shows. The teenager himself made the scenery. Yves also made small dolls. At that time, he still did not know how to sew, so the costumes for the "artists" of his theater were glued. The sisters of Saint Laurent acted as spectators.
Education and early career successes
Where did Yves Saint Laurent go after graduating from the Lyceum? The biography indicates that in 1953 he went to Paris. In the French capital, the guy attended fashion design courses. His little cocktail dress (in black) won first prize in a competition organized by the International Wool Secretariat.
In 1955, Yves managed to get a job at the Dior fashion house. From the first days of work, he showed himself as a hardworking and responsible employee. Christian Dior died in 1957. And the post of artistic director was offered to take Saint Laurent. A native of Algeria did not miss such a chance. A year later, he presented his first collection of outfits to the court of French fashionistas.
Soon Yves was drafted into the army. The young man was sent to serve in hot Africa. The military biography of our hero turned out to be very short. After 3 weeks, the impressionable recruit, who was experiencing a nervous breakdown, returned to France. For some time he was in a local psychiatric clinic.
Thanks to the investments of the American tycoon M. Robinson, Saint Laurent was able to open his own fashion house. His "right hand" was Pierre Berger. Together they came up with the YSL logo. In 1961, the new brand introduced the first clothing collection.
"Revolutionary haute couture" - such a nickname was given to Yves Saint Laurent. The biography says that he preferred androgynous images. The models that our hero recruited for shows and magazine shoots were very thin, like boys. It was Saint Laurent who "gave" women tuxedos and over the knee boots. The unisex style has not lost its popularity to this day.
In the early 1970s, Yves entered the production of perfumes under the YSL brand. His first "brainchild" was the perfume "Rive Gauche". Saint Laurent himself was the face of the advertising campaign for this men's fragrance. For this, he starred in nude style.
In 1977, Opium perfume was developed. Oriental fragrance with hints of rose and carnation appealed to millions of women from different countries. This perfume is still fashionable to buy in many stores in Europe.
Inspirational ballet
The creative biography of Yves Saint Laurent (photo posted above) is not limited to the release of perfumes and outfits for true fashionistas. He liked to invent ballet costumes (women's and men's). At one time, the famous couturier was a fan of Roland Petit's choreography. Saint Laurent made costumes for the actors involved in the production of Notre Dame Cathedral. The great Russian ballerina Maya Plisetskaya also performed in dresses from the French couturier.
difficult times
Yves Saint Laurent, whose biography we are considering, in 1981 in the USA was awarded the International Prize from the Council of Fashion Designers. That's not all. In 1983, a retrospective exhibition was dedicated to him at the Metropolitan Museum (New York).
Bohemian life, wear and tear, chronic sleep deprivation - all this made itself felt. At the age of 50, Iva's health began to fail. He has repeatedly undergone treatment for drug addiction and addiction to alcohol. In the 1990s, the Fashion House he created was going through a financial crisis. At that time, the master decided to retire. The development of new collections was carried out by his successor - Albert Elbaz.
Yves Saint Laurent: biography, personal life
At the age of 22, our hero met Pierre Berger. They were connected not only by business, but also by love relationships. It was Berger who secured the investment from the tycoon Robinson. Together with Saint Laurent, they founded the Fashion House.
In 1976, Yves and Pierre ended their relationship. And the fault was the strong jealousy of Berger. There were rumors that Saint Laurent was secretly dating Jacques de Bascher, Lagerfeld's boyfriend. Pierre Berger could not forgive the betrayal. However, he retained business working ties with his former lover. And before the death of Saint Laurent, he even agreed to marry him.
Sayings of a French couturier
Death
On June 1, 2008, the world famous fashion designer left this world. The cause of death of Yves Saint Laurent was a serious illness (the exact diagnosis was not disclosed). Farewell to the great couturier took place in Paris, not far from the church of St. Roch. Thousands of people came to see him off on his last journey.
Finally
Today we remembered a talented fashion designer, an interesting personality and a person with a fine mental organization. And he is all Yves Saint Laurent. Biography (personal and creative) was studied in detail by us. Rest in peace, great couturier...
1. In 1957, Saint Laurent just turned 21, he became head of Christian Dior's fashion house after the designer's death. Yves went down in history as the youngest director of the Fashion House.
2. Yves Saint Laurent was the man who introduced several "masculine" elements into the wardrobe of a lady - a tuxedo, thigh-length boots and stylish leather jackets.
3. Once, on one of the radio stations, the announcer announced that Saint Laurent had suddenly died. Crowds of fans and journalists rushed to the designer's house. What was their surprise that the designer was alive and well! Yves himself often recalled this story and said that he had never seen so many surprised and frightened faces in his life.
4. The designer never believed that clothes make a person beautiful. According to him, the personality of a woman determines her style and personality, but not fashion trends. As for cosmetics, it should be at least. Saint Laurent believed that love could replace the most expensive lipstick and mascara. The couturier called the hugs of a loving person the most stylish outfit for a lady. And if there is none in a woman's life, designers will come to her aid!
5. Couturier was distinguished by his wayward character and unusual views on many things. For example, at a young age, he very often posed naked in front of photographers. In addition, he became the first designer to invite black fashion models and fashion models to show his models. This was a real breakthrough in the modeling business and the fashion world!
6. Yves admitted that he regrets only one thing in life - that he did not invent jeans. As for dresses, the designer often repeated: the main thing in a dress is the woman who puts it on.
7. In 1966, Saint Laurent for the first time presented to the public his future "hit" - Le Smoking, which became the first female version of the tailcoat suit in history. Then women completely changed their idea of fashion. Yves Saint Laurent did not stop at one tailcoat suit: he began to introduce different models of suits into the wardrobe of women, which won them sympathy. In addition, Saint Laurent became the only famous designer of the sixties who opened his own boutique, where he sold not only evening dresses, but also casual wear for women.
Photo: Yves Saint Laurent with actress Catherine Deneuve and ballerina Maya Plisetskaya
8. The first creation of Yves, which gained popularity all over the world, was the trapeze dress. At first, only film stars of the fifties wore it - Sophia Loren, Gina Lolobrigida and other actresses. Gradually, the famous dress "migrated" into the wardrobe of all fashionistas in the world.
9. Everyone has always known that Saint Laurent adhered to non-traditional sexual orientation. However, not everyone knows that shortly before his death, he was married to designer Pierre Berger. However, this could not be called a full-fledged marriage. In 1999, the so-called Civil Solidarity Pact was introduced in France. Unfortunately, it represented a minimum of rights for same-sex partners. Berger later said that this was a purely symbolic event for both designers. They had known each other for too long to attach much importance to this event. Berge and Saint Laurent met back in 1958, and three years later the designers founded the Yves Saint Laurent Fashion House.
Photo: Yves Saint Laurent and supermodel Claudia Schiffer
10. When Saint Laurent turned 60, he realized that he could no longer work with the same enthusiasm as before. He worked until 2002, and then arranged a farewell show - a fashion show at the Pompidou Center. He took the stage with his muse - actress Catherine Deneuve. When she sang a song for Yves, he could not hold back his tears. A few months later, he sold the Fashion House, but the Yves Saint Laurent brand lives on to this day.
It seemed that he was destined to become what he became. At 13, he was already making patterns for dresses for his mother and sisters, and they gave them to local dressmakers for tailoring. At 17, he submitted his sketches to a competition for young designers organized by the International Wool Secretariat and won first place.
At an award ceremony in Paris, he met Michel de Brunoff, then editor-in-chief of French Vogue, who played a key role in his career. Seeing talent in a shy blue-eyed young man, he advises him to move to Paris and take up fashion.
In September 1954, following the advice of de Brunoff, Saint Laurent moved to Paris and entered the courses of the Haute Couture Syndicate. In November of the same year, he again won first place in the competition of the International Wool Secretariat with the design of a cocktail dress, beating another rising fashion star, Karl Lagerfeld.
In 1955, during one of his meetings with de Brunoff, Saint Laurent showed him his sketches. And he, struck by the similarity of models with the design of the new collection of Christian Dior, which he saw this morning in the office of the legendary couturier, decides to introduce him to the work of the young artist.
I have never met anyone more talented in my life, de Brunoff would later write.
Dior, seeing the work of Saint Laurent, instantly recognizes a like-minded person in him and immediately hires him as an assistant. It won't be long before Dior names Saint Laurent as his right hand and later as his heir.
It was a pleasure for me to work with Christian Dior, whom I admired endlessly. At that time he was the most famous couturier.<…>He taught me the basics of my trade. I owe him most of my success. No matter what happened to me afterwards, I will never forget the years I spent with him, Saint Laurent later recalled.
The Little Prince of French Fashion
In August 1957, Christian Dior told Saint Laurent's mother that he had chosen her son as heir to his fashion empire. The woman was somewhat surprised, because the master was then only 52 years old.
A month later, Dior died of a heart attack while relaxing in the Italian resort of Montecatini. According to his last wish, Saint Laurent was appointed Artistic Director of Christian Dior.
So at the age of 21, Yves Saint Laurent became the head of one of the most influential fashion houses in the world: his products accounted for 50% of the exported goods of the haute couture segment, and his staff consisted of 1,400 employees.
Yves did not disappoint his mentor. The very first collection, created by him as the head of the Christian Dior house in January 1958, made a splash. The trapeze dresses he proposed laid the foundation for his subsequent revolutionary breakthroughs. The media immediately dubbed him the "little prince" who saved France.
Between 1958 and 1960 he created six collections for Dior.
Exile from Dior
In the 60th, clouds gathered over the "little prince". The instant fame and recognition of the young genius haunted the envious and competitors at Dior. Saint Laurent, to whom Dior left the fashion house, is “unexpectedly” drafted into the army and sent to Algeria, which is at war with France for its independence.
The whole essence of the designer, whose childhood was spent in the Algerian Oran, opposes the military conflict. It took him 20 days of humiliation from colleagues to fall into a severe depression. The young man is placed in a military clinic, where he is treated with psychotropic substances and electric shock for three months. In addition, he receives a notice that he is fired from Dior.
Saint Laurent struggled with the consequences of such "shock therapy", which manifested itself in the form of drug and alcohol addiction and depression that developed against this background, for most of his life.
Pierre Bejart, who appeared by that time in his life, saved Saint Laurent from the Algerian "captivity" and helped him open his own fashion house, which was doomed to success.
"Living Genius"
In the 60s and 70s, Saint Laurent becomes the king of radical chic. His revolutionary findings. The first breakthrough was the Mondrian collection, inspired by the work of the Dutch abstract artist Peter Mondrian.
In 1966, he created the women's tuxedo, which became a revolution in the fashion world and served as the basis for the further emigration of typically masculine pieces into the women's wardrobe.
... It was necessary to take into account the specifics of the time. Women were increasingly involved in activities that required greater freedom of movement ... Saint Laurent recalled.
He was the first designer to prove that a woman in trousers is beautiful, creating models that emphasize the female figure. The first to take the risk of turning a parka and a pea jacket into fashionable outerwear. The first to open a line of ready-to-wear boutiques ("Rive Gauche").
He was always first and one step ahead, and this step was measured in several decades. Long before Gautier used African ethnic motifs in his collections, he was ahead of Lacroix and Gogliano, releasing a collection inspired by the traditional costumes of various peoples.
My humble role as a couturier is to create clothes that reflect the time, said Saint Laurent and every time proved that he succeeds in this better than others.
In 1983, at the age of 47, he became the first designer in the world to have a lifetime exhibition at the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The recognition of his services to the fashion industry has made him a style icon.
Whatever he does, women all over the world, of all ages, will follow him, said exhibition curator Diana Vreeland, who called Saint Laurent nothing less than a "living genius" from fashion.
The fate of the king
Well, they "crowned" me. But look what happened to the other kings of France, Saint Laurent declared in 1968 - long before critics began to bury his talent as an innovator.
This happened in the 80s, which were marked by the reclusion of Saint Laurent: he rarely appears in public, except that twice a year he goes to the traditional bow at the end of the shows. There were rumors about his alcohol and drug addiction. At some point, Pierre Berger was forced to publicly declare that Saint Laurent did not have AIDS.
In an interview, Saint Laurent admitted that he once felt so bad that he "wanted to tie the heaviest of his bronze sculptures around his neck" and throw himself into the Seine.
Wealth and fame did not save from addiction and depression.
Fashion critics were quick to say that the days of Saint Laurent are over and the king "has not created anything new for a long time." But the show in 1992, which presented the best creations of the fashion house for 30 years of its existence, proved the opposite.
The world-famous fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent, whose biography is a path from success to success, was, as they say, the darling of fate. In the field of design, he reached the top.
Ingenious provincial
Almost everything is known about the king and trendsetter. “The singer of femininity”, the founder of the unisex style - no matter what titles Yves Saint Laurent won for his brilliant age, 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, comradely relations reigned in it. Yves Saint Laurent was surrounded by love and friendliness from an early age. The biography of the great master testifies that further in his life he had immeasurably more friends than enemies.
Breaker of family traditions
From generation to generation in the Laurent family, men held legal positions, and, of course, the same path awaited little Yves, who, more than anything else, loved to draw in general, and in particular to invent and paint outfits for the dolls of 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 in 1953 for Paris. 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, here he learns and gets the opportunity to participate in the 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 a responsible competition? The little black after-dinner or cocktail dress, which became one of the hallmarks of the fashion genius, was created by him right 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 about him appears in the Vok magazine, which is accompanied by sketches of a young provincial. The novice fashion designer sent three sketches to the competition, which captivated the jury.
Two years later, Laurent takes part in another competition - Woolmark. And here his works are 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, thanks to this competition, both of them reached Olympic heights in their field.
Start of a brilliant career
After this event, Christian Dior himself invites Laurent to his famous "House of Dior", in which Yves Saint Laurent worked during 1955-1957. Biography, creativity of a young man become interesting to the general public. Fans and connoisseurs of high fashion begin 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 - on young people.
In 1957, Dior suddenly dies, and Laurent, at the age of 21, becomes the director of the famous brand. In 1958, his first collection "Trapeze" was released, which made a splash in the fashion world. Short A-line dresses have received many accolades. "Sensual elegance" - this is how the press dubbed the new style, the author of which was Yves Saint Laurent. Biography, photos, details of intimate life do not leave the pages of newspapers.
Black line
But there were difficult moments in the life of a trendsetter. He was drafted into the army and sent to Africa. The horrors of war Laurent, who dealt with refined beauty, could not stand it. Doctors of the mental department of the military hospital treated the strongest 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. The victory over the offenders did not bring the couturier out of a deep mental depression.
Luck again
Pierre Berger came to the rescue, with the help of which in 1961, with the money of the American billionaire Mark Robins, Yves Saint-Laurent was opened, the full owner of which was Yves Saint Laurent. The biography of the great couturier did not end in suicide, attempts of which were made repeatedly. From that moment, Yves Saint Laurent begins a 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 fashion 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, introduced by him in 1966, become another of his hallmarks. Further awards fell down one after another, and the empire of Yves Saint Laurent becomes huge, captures all new industries.
The camouflage-style collection, released by him at the height of the Vietnam War, brought the author of the first Oscar and international recognition. The dandy style he introduced and the Opium women's perfume raise Laurent to unattainable heights - he is the only one of all fashion designers whose lifetime exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum was devoted to his work, followed by another Oscar in 1985, this time - for 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 results of a rich and successful career as a designer, his famous phrase that in this life he regrets only that he did not invent jeans can serve.
The legendary couturier at the age of 21 became the head of the world fashion house, but could not stand the military service. The designer who forever changed the concept of the female silhouette could not cope with his own depression. It was he who gave us a tuxedo, a straight silhouette and ready-to-wear collections. Today the portal "ZagraNitsa" remembers Yves Saint Laurent
Introduction to fashion and Dior
Yves Saint Laurent laid the foundation stone for his career at the age of 17, when he was recognized as the best young designer in Paris. Prior to that, he lived in Algeria, from early childhood he painted, cut paper dolls and invented outfits for his mother and sister. Deciding to devote himself to art, young Yves moves to the French capital to study drawing. Then he enters the competition of young designers, where he snatches victory from the hands of a talented German. It was then that the long-term enmity between Yves Saint Laurent and Karl Lagerfeld began.
Photo: popsugar.com.au 
Photo: popsugar.com.au 
Photo: popsugar.com.au 
Photo: punktum.ru At the competition, Saint Laurent meets French Vogue editor Michel de Brunoff. He publishes drawings of Yves in his magazine, and Christian Dior notices them. In 1955, Saint Laurent was invited to the fashion house "", and he became an assistant to the king of new looks. In the first year of work, Yves performs secondary tasks: decorating the studio, designing accessories. But soon Dior invites him to create sketches of the collection, which he approvingly evaluates. After two years of the young man's work in the fashion house, Christian Dior meets with his mother and announces his intention to appoint Yves as his successor after death. Saint Laurent's mother did not take the designer's words seriously, because he was only 52. But a couple of months later, Christian Dior dies of a heart attack.
Photo: thewildmagazine.com Anything but a resounding success was expected from the young and little-known creative director of Dior! In his first collection, Yves Saint Laurent makes the female silhouette completely different from the one presented to the world by Christian Dior. The fitted style is replaced by the A-shaped one, which immediately delights all French fashionistas. Smooth lines are replaced by Saint Laurent with sharp details, shirts with turtlenecks, and instead of elegant dresses at Dior shows, models appear in leather jackets. Before that, the clients of the fashion house were mature women who prefer the classics to the avant-garde. Saint Laurent, on the other hand, focuses on young girls who yearn for revolution.
Alas, the views of the couturier run counter to the opinion of investors, and after three years of cooperation with Saint Laurent, they invite Marc Boan to the post of creative director.
Photo: popsugar.com.au 
Photo: popsugar.com.au 
Photo: popsugar.com.au Nervous breakdown and Pierre Berger
In 1960, Yves Saint Laurent was drafted into the army during the Algerian War. For a fragile and depressed guy, this was a disaster - after 20 days of service, he was admitted to the hospital with a nervous breakdown. The news of the dismissal from the house of Dior hurts the designer even more. He is transferred to a psychiatric clinic, where doctors treat Saint Laurent with electroconvulsive therapy and psychotropic drugs.
“Over the years, I realized that the most important thing in a dress is the woman who puts it on.
In November 1960, Saint Laurent was discharged from the clinic and met the French industrialist and philanthropist Pierre Berger, who would become his lifelong companion. Bergé first helps Laurent win a lawsuit against the Dior house for breach of contract, and then, together with the designer, founds the fashion house YSL (Yves Saint Laurent).
Photo: popsugar.com.au YSL and the fashion revolution
The first collection under his own name was released by the designer in 1962. She shocks fashionistas and critics with transparent blouses worn directly on her naked body. But this was only the first in a series of fashion revolutions committed by Saint Laurent! In 1964, the designer launched his own line of perfumes, and a year later, inspired by the paintings of the Dutch abstract artist Piet Modrian, he created a collection of straight-cut dresses inspired by these paintings. The idea of decorating clothes with art was revolutionary at the time.
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Photo: blogdimoda.com 
Photo: revistaview.com.br In 1966, Yves Saint Laurent made another breakthrough in the fashion industry, forever changing the idea of women's fashion. The designer dresses his models in tuxedos and straight cut trousers. Fashionistas from all over the world immediately like the new look. And even more popular for revolutionary wardrobe items is shooting for Vogue from the cult photographer Helmut Newton. In the same year, the designer was the first in the world to launch a ready-to-wear line.
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Photo: theamusedeye.com 
Photo: fashionroadtest.com Laurent becomes the first designer in Europe to use foreign ethnic motifs in his collections. The 1968 safari-style collection caused a sensation - a photograph of a model in a lace-up jacket is now stored in the Metropolitan Museum of the City of New York. In addition, Saint Laurent is the first to bring black models to the catwalk. Including Naomi Campbell opens the world, threatening the editor of French Vogue to stop cooperation if there is no Black Panther on the cover.
“The best clothes for a woman are the hugs of a man who loves her. But for those who are deprived of such happiness, there is me
In 1971, the fashion house creates a line of men's perfumes YSL Pour Homme, the release of which is accompanied by another sensation from the creative director: to advertise his perfume, Yves Saint Laurent is removed naked.
Photo: bloomberg.com In 1981, Yves Saint Laurent received the Council of Young Designers of America Award, and in 1983 he became the first couturier to whom an exhibition was dedicated to the Metropolitan Museum of New York during his lifetime.
Photo: popsugar.com.au Final years and death
The name of Yves Saint Laurent is firmly rooted in the list of the French fashion elite. However, constant depression and stress force the designer to become addicted to drugs and alcohol. In the 80s, Saint Laurent became more and more ill and transferred part of the affairs to Alber Elbaz, and in 1999 the house of Yves Saint Laurent was sold to the Gucci group. Three years later, Yves Saint Laurent decides to finally leave the world of fashion. His farewell bow is a retrospective show at the Pompidou Center.
Photo: popsugar.com.au The designer spends his last days living as a recluse, and a few days before his death he enters into a same-sex marriage with his partner Pierre Berger. Until the age of 72, Yves Saint Laurent did not live exactly two months.
Farewell to the couturier took place on the Parisian Rue Saint-Honoré. There were so many people that traffic was blocked here for half a day during the ceremony.
