Fashion lost one of its foremost designers this past Sunday with the passing of Yves Saint Laurent.
Saint Laurent is widely credited with revolutionizing how women dress during his more than four decade career (1957-2002). At once a classicist and a renegade, the designer created feminine versions of tailored pieces previously considered exclusive to menswear. Saint Laurent encouraged women to embrace pants for day or evening, as well as peacoats, trenches, safari jackets, and tuxedo-inspired formalwear--styles that have since became an integral part of women’s fashion.
Not one to insist that women enslave themselves to the trend du jour, Saint Laurent declared that all a woman needed to be fashionable was a pair of pants, a sweater, and a raincoat. In a 1983 interview he said: “A woman’s wardrobe shouldn’t change every six months. You should be able to use the pieces you already own and add to them. Because they are like timeless classics.”
Not one to limit himself to reinterpreted classics, Saint Laurent integrated a variety of influences into his design vernacular including pop art, urban street fashion, and contemporary cultural movements. During the 1970s the designer paraded bohemian-inspired styles in luxe fabrics down the runway.
Legendary magazine editor Diana Vreeland called Saint Laurent “a living genius” and “the Pied Piper of fashion.”
Saint Laurent is widely credited with revolutionizing how women dress during his more than four decade career (1957-2002). At once a classicist and a renegade, the designer created feminine versions of tailored pieces previously considered exclusive to menswear. Saint Laurent encouraged women to embrace pants for day or evening, as well as peacoats, trenches, safari jackets, and tuxedo-inspired formalwear--styles that have since became an integral part of women’s fashion.
Not one to insist that women enslave themselves to the trend du jour, Saint Laurent declared that all a woman needed to be fashionable was a pair of pants, a sweater, and a raincoat. In a 1983 interview he said: “A woman’s wardrobe shouldn’t change every six months. You should be able to use the pieces you already own and add to them. Because they are like timeless classics.”
Not one to limit himself to reinterpreted classics, Saint Laurent integrated a variety of influences into his design vernacular including pop art, urban street fashion, and contemporary cultural movements. During the 1970s the designer paraded bohemian-inspired styles in luxe fabrics down the runway.
Legendary magazine editor Diana Vreeland called Saint Laurent “a living genius” and “the Pied Piper of fashion.”
(Photo courtesy of ysl.com.)
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