RIP Yves Mathieu Saint Laurent (1936 - June 1st, 2008)

In the early 1950's Laurent attended the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Coutrue School. A few years later Christian Dior took him on as his personal assistant after Laurent won the international Wool Secretariat competition. 1958 he launched YSL's first collection and soon established houses of couture and boutiques in Paris and New York. Laurent's designs celebrated the emporwerment and sexual liberation of women. He dressed them in see-through blouses, thigh-high leather boots, and his iconic black tuxedos. He also found himself in the middle of various controversies during his career. In 1971, he appeared nude in an advertisment for his men's cologne, and 1977 he named one of his perfume's Opium. His later designs include sophisticated tweed suits, the Mondrian dress, pleated skirts, updated peasant costumes, tuxedos for women, and heavy costume jewelry. In 2000, Gucci acquired his ready-to-wear and cosmetics divisions. Yves St. Laurent retired in 2002.