The Beginning and Today

By Matiya Myatovic

The Beginning

Yves Saint Laurent, one of the most original, influential and leading edge

designers of the 20th Century. The French fashion designer was born in Oran, Algeria in 1936. Throughout his childhood he showed great talent and would often apply to design competitions; this is where he got his big break. He submitted his designs to the International Wool Secretariat, and he won. Following his victory, he gained acknowledgement from editor-in-chief of Vogue Paris, Michel de Brunhoff, which ultimately led to his relationship with Christian Dior.

Christian Dior hired the young Saint Laurent, where they worked

together until Dior’s death in 1957. He then took over as art director for Dior; Yves Saint Laurent launched his first collection for the company, the Ligne Trapéze, that year. It was a perceptible success and won him a Neiman Marcus Oscar.

Yves Saint Laurent designed for the company for two years, until he

was drafted into the French Army. While away he received news that he was fired by Dior. When he came back from the war in 1961, he started his own fashion house, with partner Pierre Berge. Together they popularized ‘The Beatnik Look’, introduced ‘The Tuxedo Look’ also known as ‘Le Smoking’ for women and changed the way women dressed by using elements of ethnicity, sheerness, colour and tailoring.

He was the first couturier to open his own ready to wear line and the first

to use ethnic models. In 1983, Saint Laurent became the first living fashion designer to be honored by the Metropolitan Museum of Art with a solo exhibition. In October 1998 Yves Saint Laurent showed his last ready-to-wear collection for the Rive Gauche label he had founded more than 30 years before. He carried on his haute couture until 2002. 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. He died June 1, 2008 in his resident in Paris. He is remembered as a fashion connoisseur and is respected for being the man who designed to make women look beautiful.

Theme #1- Le Smoking

1975

1967

1976

Theme #2- Ethnicity

1990

1967

1967

Theme #3- Sheerness

1967

1980

2001

Theme #4- Art

1965(Mondrian Art)

1971(Picasso)

1988 (Van Gogh)

Theme #5- Tailoring

1967 (Tailoring & Le Smoking)

1980

Pant Suit (left)1967, Safari Suit(right) 1968

Today

Yves Saint Laurent was founded by designer Yves Saint Laurent and his partner, Pierre Bergé in 1962. The house popularized looks such as Le smoking, The Beatnik look, ethnic prints, sheerness and tailoring. In 1993, the Saint-Laurent fashion house was sold to the pharmaceuticals company Sanofi.

In the 1998-1999 seasons, Alber Elbaz designed 3 R-T-W collections. In 1999 Tom Ford arrived to take control at the house, after Gucci bought the YSL brand and asked him to design the ready-to-wear collection while Saint-Laurent would design the haute couture collection.

In 2002, Saint-Laurent closed the couture house of YSL. This is also when Yves Saint Laurent did his last show. Stefano Pilati, who replaced Tom Ford in 2005, and to this day is the designer for the label.

Alber Elbaz

Alber Elbaz was born in Casablanca, Morocco, in 1961. Starting at a young age he realized his love for drawing. He was raised by his mother and credits her for his importance of modesty and values. At the age of 10 he moved to Israel, he joined the Israeli Defense Force before choosing fashion design educating himself at the Shenkar College of Textile Technology and Fashion. After graduating, Elbaz was hired as creative director of French couture house Guy Laroche in 1996. In 1998, he was offered a job at Yves Saint Laurent designing women’s ready-to-wear. He designed only three ready to wear collections between 1998-1999 and after the Gucci Group bought YSL Rive Gauche in 2001, Tom Ford - then Gucci's creative director - dismissed Elbaz to assume all design responsibilities himself.

In 2001 he took over as creative director and Lanvin, where he remains to this day and since has gained great acclaim for his work. He has won numerous accolades for his contributions to fashion design including the CFDA's 2005 International Designer award and, in 2007 he was awarded the highly prestigious Legion of Honour in Paris.

Tom Ford

Tom Ford was born in Texas in 1962. He studied interior architecture at Parsons School of Design until 1986. By 1999 he had made Gucci worth $4.3 billion. In 2000, Ford was named Best International Designer at the first VH1/Vogue Awards in New York. After Gucci bought a controlling stake in Yves Saint Laurent, Ford was appointed creative director and communications director of YSL's ready-to-wear business, while continuing to design for Gucci. In April 2004, Ford parted company with the Gucci group. He subsequently launched his fashion empire, Tom Ford - first with menswear, beauty, eyewear, and then both men's and women's accessories

Stephano Pilati

Stephano Pilati was born in Milan in 1965, he cites his family amongst his early fashion influences. He created his first sketches for his sisters, inspired by their fashion magazines. Pilati originally intended to qualify as a land surveyor and professed an early interest in architecture. He abandoned his course, which would have qualified him as a land surveyor, to undertake an internship with Nino Cerruti at the age of 17. His first job in fashion was at a velvet manufacturer. In 1993 he was hired by Giorgio Armani as a menswear design assistant but in 1995 he left to become the head of research and development at Prada. The designer was promoted to assistant designer at Miu Miu in 1998, where he worked on menswear and womenswear.

He was named design director at Yves Saint Laurent in 2000, and worked under Tom Ford for four years before being appointed creative director following Ford's departure in 2004. Often way ahead of his time, Pilati's designs are time and again questioned and then accepted and widely copied, proving he is an innovative leader in today’s fashion world.

On February 27 2012, Pilati announced he was stepping down from his role as Yves Saint Laurent creative director, after months of denials from the house. His next move has not yet been confirmed.

Theme #1- Le Smoking

2000-Alber Elbaz

2002- Tom Ford

2007-Stephano Pilati

Theme#2 – Ethnicity

2000-Alber Elbaz

2003-Tom Ford

2010-Stephano Pilati

Theme #3- Sheerness

2000-Alber Elbaz

2002-Tom Ford

2007-Stephano Pilati

Theme #4- Art

2000-Alber Elbaz

2000-Tom Ford

2007-Stephano Pilati

Theme #5- Tailoring

2000-Alber Elbaz

2002-Tom Ford

2007-Stephano Pilati