Au revoir, monsieur Yves Saint Laurent

Legendary fashiondesigner Yves Saint Laurent died Sunday evening in Paris after a yearlong battle with brain cancer. Yves Saint Laurent, one of the most influential and enduring designers of the 20th century, empowered women by reinventing pants as a sleek, elegant staple of the female wardrobe.

He changed the face of fashion, when he became chief designer for the House of Dior at 21. “Chanel gave women freedom, and Saint Laurent gave them power”, said Pierre Berge, Saint Laurent’s close friend and business partner for four decades. He called Saint Laurent a "true creator" who went beyond the aesthetic to make a social statement. The French maestro designed clothes that reflected women's changing role in society: more confident personally, sexually and in the work-place.

Saint Lauren retired from haute couture in 2002 after four decades at the top of his trade. During his farewell appearance, Saint Laurent told reporters he had "always given the highest importance of all to respect for this craft, which is not exactly an art, but which needs an artist to exist." The couture creations of the reclusive Saint Laurent won global fine art status and he was widely considered to be one of an elite club of designers including Christian Dior and Coco Chanel who made Paris the fashion capital of the world.

Yves Saint Laurent Fall/Winter 2007