![]() The words “Rive Gauche” remain a staple phrase seen even today on Saint Laurent YSL’s popular shopping bag totes.Īlthough Yves Saint Laurent officially stepped down from his eponymous house in 2002, a number of notable names in design helmed different sectors of the label. Celebrities and famous models both attended and participated in the opening of the store, and customers waited for hours in line to purchase the apparel. The primary collection at the store’s launch was embraced by Parisian youth and was even compared to Chanel in terms of innovation, launching Yves Saint Laurent the brand into the mainstream where it would remain for years to come. The space had previously served as an antique store, so it held a great deal of history and charm within its walls. The store’s opening show in 1969 marked the first time that a couturier in France had successfully launched a prêt-à-porter or ready-to-wear line. Yves Saint Laurent named his first store Saint Laurent Rive Gauche for its place on the left bank of the Seine River, a part of Paris where young creatives lived and flourished. In 1966, Saint Laurents introduced the iconic Le Smoking tuxedo suit, which was a defining moment for the house as he revolutionized the idea of menswear as womenswear. Cassandre designed the label’s iconic monogram Yves Saint Laurent logo in 1963, further adding to the brand’s identity. In his first collection in January 1962, Saint Laurent introduced a women’s peacoat that was inspired by naval uniforms. With the 680,000 francs Dior paid Saint Laurent under breach of contract he promptly invested into his own brand a year, along with Jesse Mack Robinson, from whom Bergé negotiated an investment of $70,000. The young, but experienced designer had an eye for menswear on women -he knew how to fit the female figure in more masculine silhouettes in a way that highlighted her sexuality and figure in new ways. The Birth of Yves Saint Laurent the Fashion House It was while in the hospital that he learned he would not be returning as Dior’s head designer and that Marc Bohan would take his place. Saint Laurent’s stint only lasted through training camp, and he ended up being hospitalized after a mental breakdown. In 1960, Saint Laurent was drafted into the army, which is said to have taken a toll on the designer’s mental health. Saint Laurent’s first collection at Dior was embraced by critics and is most remembered by the Trapeze dress, a larger silhouette where the woman’s body disappeared beneath the fabric, and the antithesis of Dior’s cinched-waist jackets and dresses. His first Dior show in 1958 deviated from all that his predecessor designed, giving more fluid shape to womenswear in breathable silhouettes. At 21, Saint Laurent’s childhood dream of becoming a couturier came true when he was named Dior’s successor. In October that same year, Dior passed away from a heart attack at 52. ![]() In 1957, Saint Laurent was promoted to Dior’s assistant, tasked with designing some 40 dresses for each collection. Within the house of Dior, Saint Laurent quickly acquired the confidence of his instructor and in turn, took on more responsibility, like designing the headdresses for a 1956 costume ball called Le bal des têtes. Saint Laurent started to work at the house of Dior when in 1955 he was all but 18, after only one term at the Ecole de la Chambre Syndicale, and this was only the beginning for his legendary career. Saint Laurent’s work promptly circulated within the industry, and Dior was impressed by the young talent after French Vogue editor in chief Michel de Brunhoff showed Saint Laurent’s sketches to Dior, who hired Saint Laurent as an assistant in his studio. The following year, he entered again, and a jury composed of names like Pierre Balmain and Givenchy awarded him first place in the dress category, and a 21-year-old Karl Lagerfeld first place in the coat category. In 1953, when Saint Laurent was 16, he entered the International Wool Secretariat competition, now known as the Woolmark Prize, and a jury which included Hubert de Givenchy and Christian Dior awarded the young designer third prize. Having parents that were both trained musicians, Saint Laurent’s favorite childhood pastime was producing plays with his sisters in which he would take the role of a couturier and play the head designer. His earliest designs, which are displayed there, consist of sketches and paper dolls clothed in fabrics that he snipped from his mother’s textiles. Saint Laurent’s earliest designs are preserved in his old studio at 5 avenue Marceau, which is now the Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris -a must see if you meander into the 8th Arrondissement). ![]() Long after, he made parallels between his upbringing in North Africa and Paris, describing the art and the culture of the city as vastly influential to the creative development of both himself and his comrades. Yves Saint Laurent was born in Oran, Algeria in 1936.
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