From his days as Dior’s prodigy to becoming the sculptor of women’s modern wardrobes, Yves Saint Laurent gave women new shapes to redefine themselves. A kind of Le Vestiaire Idéal. This visual edit highlights eight moments that shaped the house’s identity. Some provoked, others empowered. Each of them altered the language of fashion.
Photography: Helmut Newton, courtesy of Saint Laurent
Le Smoking (1966)
The sharply tailored tuxedo for women was more than a reinterpretation. It challenged expectations. At first ignored by couture clients, but welcomed by the Rive Gauche crowd, Le Smoking became a lasting icon.
The Saharienne (1968)
Born from Saint Laurent’s connection to Marrakech, the Saharienne introduced an effortless kind of cool. This blouse often featured a lace-up front, adding to its utilitarian ease. The ideal and versatile wardrobe piece.
The Sheer Blouse (1966–68)
He redefined elegance through transparency. The exposed body became part of the design. Worn as a statement piece or underneath a blazer, this blouse offered a powerful refusal of fashion’s norms.
Photography: courtesy of Saint Laurent, Jeanloup Sieff
The Mondrian Dress (1965)
A tribute to abstract art in motion. This shift dress, with its bold colour blocks and clean geometry, made modernism wearable. A street-level classic, perfect for the rhythm of the sixties.
The Perfume Pair (1971)
In 1971, Saint Laurent introduced Pour Homme and Rive Gauche. The latter, in a silver-toned bottle, felt crisp and urban. The former arrived with a now-legendary nude portrait of the designer himself. These scents spoke of identity and self-expression, far beyond notes and accords.
The Left Bank Handbag Philosophy
He never centred his collections on handbags, but when he made them, they were memorable. Subtle, practical, beautifully shaped. Three of mine, found years ago in a vintage market in Hong Kong, are treasures.
The Legacy
The final bow came in 2002. “I have created the contemporary woman’s wardrobe,” he once said. Five years later, the Paris museum opened in his former couture house. In 2018, a second followed in Marrakech. The colours and textures that inspired so many collections. This city is so vital to his visual world, and on my wishlist.
Catwalk photography: Alessandro Lucioni and Daniele Schiavello / Gorunway
The Now
Since 2016, Anthony Vaccarello leads the house. Educated in Antwerp and Italian by heritage, his work combines archives with new decadent sensuality. Before him came Hedi Slimane, Stefano Pilati and Tom Ford. Every designer tapped into another side of the house’s DNA, filtered through the mood of their moment.
Images: courtesy of Saint Laurent, Helmut Newton, Jeanloup Sieff
Catwalk photography: Alessandro Lucioni and Daniele Schiavello / Gorunway
Explore: www.ysl.com
