Yves Saint Laurent: The Man, The Legend

Yves Henri Donat Mathieu-Saint-Laurent, or simply Yves Saint Laurent, was born on August 1, 1936 and passed away June 1, 2008. He was a french fashion designer, and is known as one of the greatest names in fashion history. In 1985, Caroline Rennolds Milbank wrote, "The most consistently celebrated and influential designer of the past twenty-five years, Yves Saint Laurent can be credited with both spurring the couture's rise from its sixties ashes and with finally rendering ready-to-wear reputable." He is also credited with having introduced the tuxedo suit for women and was known for his use of non-European cultural references, and non-White models. . He grew up in a villa by the Mediterranean with his two younger sisters, Michèle and Brigitte. He liked to create paper dolls, and by his early teen years he was designing dresses for his mother and sisters. At the age of 18, he moved to Paris and enrolled at the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture, where his designs got noticed. Michel De Brunhoff, the editor of French Vogue, introduced him to designer Christian Dior. Yves says that Christian Dior inspired him. He won a young designers contest, and his career took off. In 1983, he became the first living fashion designer to be honored by the Metropolitan Museum of Art with a solo exhibition. In 2001, he was awarded the rank of Commander of the Légion d'Honneur by French president Jacques Chirac. He retired in 2002 and became increasingly reclusive, living at his homes in Normandy and Morocco with his pet French Bulldog Moujik. He also created a foundation with his partner Pierre Bergé in Paris to trace the history of the house of YSL, complete with 15,000 objects and 5,000 pieces of clothing. In 2007, he was awarded the rank of Grand officier de la Légion d'honneur by the French President. He died June 1, 2008 of brain cancer at his residence in Paris. According to The New York Times, a few days before he died, he Pierre Bergé were joined in a same-sex civil union known as a Pacte civil de solidarité (PACS) in France. He was given a Catholic funeral at St. Roch Catholic Church in Paris. His body was cremated and his ashes scattered in Marrakech, Morocco, in the Majorelle Garden, a residence and botanical garden that he owned with Pierre since 1980 and often visited to find inspiration and refuge. Pierre said at the funeral service: “But I also know that I will never forget what I owe you and that one day I will join you under the Moroccan palms."  Forbes rated Saint Laurent the top-earning dead celebrity in 2009.