Mr. Yves Saint Laurent passed away Sunday Night.

Legend Yves Saint Laurent, who changed the silhouette of 20th century woman, died aged 71 at his Paris home of a brain tumour late Sunday after a long time of illness.

Physically and Mentally frail through all of his life, Mr. Saint Laurent retired from haute couture in 2002 after four decades of a career, in which he dressed women like Catherine Deneuve, Paloma Picasso, Bianca Jagger and Lauren Bacall.

Mr. Berge, who founded the iconic YSL fashion house in 1961 with the designer, then 25 is Heartbroken.

Mr. Saint Laurent was the first to put women in pants..... the first to put them in tuxedos..... the first to put them in masculine clothes.... the first to employ black models......

A shy lonely child born to a well-off family, he was taunted over his homosexuality and became fascinated by clothes.

He arrived in Paris in 1953, aged 17, with a portfolio of sketches and quickly persuaded Vogue editor Michel de Brunhoff to publish the images.

De Brunhoff advised Christian Dior to hire him and he rapidly became heir apparent to the great couturier, taking over the house when Dior died suddenly three years later.

Mr. Saint Laurent had to do some civil service and the house of Dior decided to hire someone else as CD while he was away, this was the time when Mr. Berge came into place. He sued the house of Dior and from the money won, they started the house of Yves Saint Laurent.

Too he was in the right place at the right time, launching the era of the celebrity lifestyle in homes in Paris and Marrakesh where he mixed with the Jaggers, US-French socialite Betty Catroux or aristocratic muse, Loulou de la Falaise.

His collections took their inspiration from artists Picasso, Andy Warhol or Mondrian....

There was a hunger for the originality of his slinky tuxedo suits sheer blouses and safari jackets.

His name and the YSL logo became synonymous with all the latest trends, highlighted by the creation of the Rive Gauche ready-to-wear label and perfume, as well as licensing deals for accessories and perfumes.

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, he set the pace for fashion worldwide, and opened up the Japanese market.

In his later years the depression that haunted him all his life became more oppressive, and at his farewell bash in 2002 Saint Laurent admitted to having recourse to "those false friends which are tranquillisers and narcotics."

I pray for you Mr. Yves Saint Laurent. I pray that you rest in Peace. You were one of the most inspirational people on this earth, one of the absolut most Talented ones.

love
alice