Your Fashion History - Yves Saint Laurent

Yves Henri Donat Mathieu-Saint-Laurent was born August 31, 1936 and started his career at the of 17 when he was hired by Christian Dior as an assistant. He was made head designer there in 1957, showing his first collection, in the Spring of 1958 to critical acclaim.

After being replaced at Dior by Marc Bohan after a short stint in the army, Yves opened his own couture house in 1962. Rive Gauche, the ready-to-wear line began in 1966. Yves St. Laurent retired in 2002 and the couture atelier was closed. The YSL line is still an active and succesful label.

Iconic moments include his Mondrian collection (1965,) Le Smoking tuxedo suits (first done in 1967), the Safari suit (1968 ) and the Russian collection of (1976).

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".