Yves Saint-Laurent: biography, photographs. Yves Saint Laurent and the elements of La Dolce Vita

“I would be happy in heaven only if the angels were dressed with taste and wore their halos at a graceful angle.”
“The best clothing for a woman is the embrace of a man who loves her. But for those who are deprived of such happiness, there is me.”

(Yves Saint Laurent)

This year marks 10 years since the passing of one of the greatest French fashion designers Yves Henri Donat Mathieu Saint Laurent (Yves Henri Donat Mathieu-Saint-Laurent; August 1, 1936, Oran, Algeria - June 1, 2008, Paris). Over the past decade, a huge number of books, feature films and documentaries, scientific and entertainment articles have been devoted to Maestro Saint Laurent and his work. Let us also remember today about that important role, played by the favorite dogs in the master’s life.

Insanely talented, nervous and vulnerable, who devoted almost 50 years of his life to high fashion, he was a serious artist, invented a unisex style, dressed women in men's trouser suits and transparent blouses, invented the trapeze dress and the safari style, introduced high-neck turtlenecks into fashion and camouflage.

The great couturier always adored dogs, and considered them to be the best breed. french bulldog. Throughout his life, Saint Laurent had five absolutely similar bulldogs, which he always called by the same name: Man I, Man II, Man III etc. Bulldogs constantly accompanied the fashion designer at photo shoots, inspired and calmed him when the designer was working on new collections, and accompanied him everywhere on trips.

There are different legends about where bulldogs got this funny name. One of them says that at a Parisian party, where bohemians celebrated Lily Brik’s birthday, the designer shared with the “muse of the Russian avant-garde” his doubts about choosing a nickname for his beloved puppy. She offered to give the pampered bulldog a rough Russian name"Man." This unusual option made Yves laugh and liked him, so he selected each subsequent pet as similar as possible to the previous one and kept the name.

However, biographers of Saint Laurent object that the first dog lived with the master even before meeting Lilya Brik.

Most likely, the name for the bulldogs was invented by Saint Laurent himself, who was a big fan of Russian culture and everything Russian. He collected Bakst and created fantastic outfits for Maya Plisetskaya and Rudolf Nureyev.

In January 1958, the designer released his first women's collection for the Dior house. “Trapezium” played on the shapes of the traditional Russian sundress.

In June 1959, together with twelve fashion models, Yves Saint Laurent flew to Moscow with a collection of top women's clothing, becoming the first famous fashion designer to present French fashion in the USSR

Yves Saint Laurent with Maya Plisetskaya (right) and Catherine Deneuve.

The French bulldog is called the aristocrat of the canine world, because representatives of this breed were very loved and for a long time Only the wealthiest people could afford it.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, the first French bulldogs, having gained great popularity in Europe, began to conquer the hearts of the Russian aristocracy, members of royal family and cultural figures.

Yves Saint Laurent was an expert on Russian culture; he probably knew that the French bulldog was the favorite dog of Princess Tatiana Romanova and Prince Felix Yusupov, the great Fyodor Chaliapin, ballerina Anna Pavlova and Vladimir Mayakovsky.

By the way, Mayakovsky’s portrait stood on the designer’s desk for a long time.

Yves Saint Laurent enjoyed reading the works of Pushkin and Tolstoy, Chekhov and Turgenev, admired the music of Tchaikovsky and Mussorgsky, and drank Russian vodka from glasses with a double-headed eagle

It can be assumed that the couturier was also familiar with the statement of the writer Colette, who had big influence on the Parisian bohemia and aristocracy of the early 20th century.

In a letter to a friend, Colette wrote: “At that time I had two dogs, however, my hand does not dare to write “two dogs.” I had a dog and a French bulldog.” Like this: “The French bulldog is a creature of a different order.” 😀

Crossing the Burgos Spanish Bulldog with Toy Bulldogs brought from England, possibly also with Terriers and Pugs, resulted in the creation new breed, in which the body of a reduced English bulldog was combined with the head of a Burgossian, and erect ears on a short bulldog muzzle became one of the main characteristics of the breed.

Breed historian Jennette Brownie wrote: “... I argue that it was the French who made the French Bulldog a compact, straight-legged, short-muzzled, playful and colorful little dog today and they achieved this by avoiding the English bulldog as much as possible.” At the end of 1904, the English Kennel Club finally recognized the breed as an independent breed. It was given the name "Le Bouldogue Francais", which later received the English equivalent of the French Bouldog.

Yves Saint Laurent fell in love with these stocky, muscular dogs with an inimitable flat face and cheerful disposition.

Friendly and cheerful, very active, but quite obedient and selflessly devoted to their owner, the Frenchies became the constant companions of the great designer. And in some ways they were clearly similar 😀

Throughout his life, Saint Laurent had five bulldogs, Muzhikov. They say the fifth was the most severe - he could easily not let a person near the owner if he felt that he did not like him, he could bark and even claw.

By the way, the image of the “Saint Laurent” bulldog, along with Comandante Che and Marilyn Monroe, was immortalized in his paintings by Andy Warhol, and Laurent then used his image to create a Christmas card from the LOVE series, which sold millions of copies and decorated the couturier’s studio (see 2 photos above).

Both Muzhiki (I meant bulldogs now) and love for Russia had a noticeable influence on the designer’s work.

I'm sure there isn't a single person interested in fashion who hasn't already watched the film. Jalil Lesper "Yves Saint Laurent". For several months now, the film has been running successfully in all cinemas around the world. I was lucky enough to attend the pre-premiere screening of the film in Paris back in January. Leaving the cinema, I suddenly felt that this film not only changed my attitude towards the world of fashion, but also changed my perception the surrounding world. Therefore, I simply must express my gratitude to the genius in the form of a series of articles that will help you trace the creative path of the master, see in the illustrations how fashion changed and how Laurent saw the woman in different periods own life. But the most important thing is that you cannot remain indifferent to him.

I had heard about Iva before watching the biographical film. However, two hours spent in the dark but cozy hall of a Parisian cinema awakened in me an interest not so much in the personal life of the master, which is the main leitmotif of the film, but in the transformation of a budding designer into a style icon of French fashion. I began to greedily search for information about him, to be inspired by the master’s wonderful creations, to watch documentaries about him, and of course - Saint Laurent shows, which are difficult, but possible to find on the Internet.

A fashion revolutionary, timid and shy, Yves quickly rose in career ladder to the very top, continuing to retain the title of “leader” of French fashion for almost half a century!

Yves Saint Laurent is a whole story, a whole era, a unique small world V huge world fashion. When you look at Laurent’s models through the eyes of a man of the twenty-first century, it seems completely incredible how a man of the twentieth century could come up with and bring all this splendor to life?! Almost every couturier collection deserves special attention.

Yves Henri Donat Mathieu-Saint-Laurent, native from the town of Oran ( Algeria), went to conquer Paris in 1953. I would especially like to note that his mother, who went with the future couturier to the fashion capital of the world, always approved of the young man’s interest in fashion and drawing and was his main inspirer throughout his life. Also in 1953, 17-year-old Yves took part in a competition for young designers. In nomination " Evening Dress“He takes an honorable first place, like his rival Karl Lagerfeld, but the jury still awards victory to Laurent.

Michel de Brunoff, chief of the French edition of Vogue, draws attention to the young designer’s drawings. Later, a well-known magazine publishes several sketches, which become a kind of advertising and at the same time best recommendation for a budding fashion designer. Soon after this, Saint Laurent was invited by the great couturier Christian Dior to the Dior fashion house, and a little later he was appointed assistant to the maestro.

After Dior's death in 1957, Laurent headed the Dior fashion house. He has something to amaze the discerning public: not only to conquer everyone with his bold and revolutionary ideas, but also to reshape the classic silhouette of the “Dior woman.”

Young Yves at Christian Dior's funeral, 1957.

The first step towards changing the classical understanding of fashion was his “Trapezoid” collection, which young Yves presented to the public in 1958, as soon as he headed the Dior fashion house after the death of the great couturier. It was a real sensation. No one expected that Laurent would approach the creation of a collection so radically. After Dior's new-look dresses, Laurent's trapeze-shaped dresses shocked the public. This was the first success of the aspiring fashion designer. For the first time they started talking about him as a creator who showed great promise. The day after the show, Laurent, who stepped out onto the balcony of the Dior fashion house, was surrounded by journalists who immediately dubbed him “the little prince of fashion.” Modest, reserved, hiding his gaze behind thick glasses, the young man captivated everyone with his original vision of women's fashion.

Yves Saint Laurent and his first collection for the Dior fashion house, 1958.

A-line dress from the first collection of Yves Saint Laurent for the House of Christian Dior

A-line dress from the first collection of Yves Saint Laurent for the House of Christian Dior

A-line dress from the first collection of Yves Saint Laurent for the House of Christian Dior

A little later, in 1960, Yves will present to the public a completely different, revolutionary collection “Beat”, which will be a kind of symbol of rebellious students - short leather jackets, Wellingtons, turtleneck sweaters, motorcyclist jackets. The press dubbed this collection "beatnik". Saint Laurent will fall out of favor. "Beatnik" will be received more than coolly by the public. The “little prince of fashion” was expected to at least repeat the success of the previous collection, and at most, something as grandiose as Maestro Dior himself had previously presented to the public. Alas, Laurent’s view of the matter seemed too impudent to the journalists. modern woman, and the regular clients of the Dior house, who were accustomed to feminine and luxurious outfits, clearly did not want to wear things that would turn them into young rebels.

After the failure of the new collection, poor Yves, scolded by critics, faces an even greater blow: he receives a summons to the army, because the war with Algeria is in full swing. The young man stayed for military service only twenty days, after which he suffered a nervous breakdown.

Yves Saint Laurent and his girlfriend Zizi Jeanmaire.

In the hospital, the couturier learns that he was fired from Dior. Of course, this news completely crushed him both emotionally and mentally. Saint Laurent is demobilized from the army and sent for treatment to Val-de-Grâce, where they take great care of his health, pumping him full of drugs strong action, and also conduct courses of electroconvulsive therapy. All this, according to Yves Saint Laurent himself, subsequently led him to deep mental disorder and problems with drugs.

In November 1960 he was discharged from the hospital. After this, Yves Saint Laurent, together with his partner and friend Pierre Berger, sued Dior for breach of contract and won the case. The amount that Yves and Pierre received as compensation from the house of Dior is quite enough to open their own fashion house.

In 1961, Yves, together with his friend and partner Pierre Berger, opened his fashion house Yves Saint Laurent(YSL), which still exists today.

The next article will talk about the 60-70s of the last century, when the couturier began to truly “reshape” French fashion, about his revolutionary and bold ideas and about those elements of the women’s wardrobe created by Laurent, without which we cannot imagine a modern woman - a light transparent blouse and a women's tuxedo.

His father wanted Yves to become a lawyer, but his mother strongly welcomed her son’s passion for fashion and did not mind that he went to Paris immediately after school.

Soon I noticed the sketches of the young fashion designer Chief Editor French Vogue Michel de Brunoff and published them on the pages of the publication. After which Yves met the great couturier himself, Christian Dior. In 1995, he became an assistant to the head of the most famous French house - Dior. Two years later, Christian unexpectedly died and Saint Laurent was given a tempting offer that he could not refuse - to become Dior's successor.

In 1958, he created the “Trapezoid” collection, which brought resounding success to the House of Dior. In 1960, Yves Saint Laurent created new collection"Beatnik", presenting cropped motorcycle jackets and suits with turtlenecks underneath. The collection again aroused delight among fashion connoisseurs, but not among investors of the fashion house, who, frightened by the designer’s innovative ideas, got rid of him and sent him to the army. The graceful and subtle Yves had a hard time in the service.

Having won the court due to the premature termination of the contract, with the money received in the form of compensation, Yves Saint Laurent and his friend Berger opened their own fashion house, Yves Saint Laurent.

His first collection created an indelible sensation - he brought models to the catwalk wearing clothes with elements men's suit. Girls paraded in double-breasted suits, cropped trench coats and transparent blouses. In 1966, the designer created a women's tuxedo, which made his name a legend in the fashion world.

In 1993, Yves Saint Laurent sold his House to the pharmaceutical giant Sanofi for $600 million and devoted himself exclusively to haute couture, producing haute couture collections until 2002. His last prêt-a-porte show, which was known for 30 years under the Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche label, took place in 1998. A year later, the Yves Saint Laurent fashion house was sold to the Gucci group, and American designer Tom Ford was appointed its creative director, replacing fashion designer Alber Elbaz in this post.

In 2002, Yves Saint Laurent officially retired, staging a retrospective fashion show at the Pompidou Center as a farewell show, which was completed by his main muse, actress Catherine Deneuve.

Their last days Yves Saint Laurent lived in seclusion at the Villa Majorelle in Marrakech. On June 1, 2008, he died before reaching the age of 72. His ashes, according to his will, were scattered over the garden of Villa Majorelle, which he loved very much.

Personal life

Stick to unconventional sexual orientation. In 1958, he met designer Pierre Berger and lived a long and happy life with him.

Interesting Facts

Full name - Yves Henri Doni Mathieu Saint-Laurent

Yves Henri Donat Mathieu Saint Laurent was born in Algeria. In 1950, immediately after arriving in Paris, Yves won an award at a competition for young designers. Christian Dior notices Laurent and hires him, although he is not yet twenty (many explain this favor solely by the homosexuality of both couturiers).

Further more. Dior dies unexpectedly, and Saint Laurent becomes head of the fashion house at 21. Here luck leaves the young talent. In 1960, Saint Laurent was drafted into the army for the Algerian war. Two months later, he has a nervous breakdown and is sent to the hospital, where they try to treat him with powerful doses of sedatives and electroconvulsive therapy.

Soon Saint Laurent returned to the world of fashion and after a year and a half opened his own fashion house - YSL. Unisex style, safari style, hippie style, ethnic motifs - all this appeared thanks to him. Against the backdrop of success, Saint Laurent did not get out of depression. Laurent never parted with alcohol. In almost all the photos he has a glass of strong drink in his hand. Yves smoked 150 cigarettes a day and simply swallowed hashish at night. Alcohol had an immediate effect on the couturier. One of his friends, Klossowski, recalled: “Give him a glass of wine - and he’s already in bed. And time after time it only gets worse.”

The couturier made his first attempt to “start up” back in the 60s. It turns into 25 bottles of Coca-Cola a day, obesity and writer's block. He got out of the crisis again through alcohol. It came to unsuccessful attempts suicide. This swing from top to bottom by the mid-80s led the fashion designer to complete nervous exhaustion. Often he could only stand on stage during his shows with the help of models supporting him by the shoulders. Having finally exhausted himself from this marathon, but, however, without losing his status as a genius, the couturier retired in 2002. On June 1, 2008, Yves Saint Laurent died of brain cancer.

Genius against use

1936–1950
Born in the Algerian city of Oran in the family of a lawyer. Already as a child, he succumbed to the charm of theater and fashion.

1951–1960
Works at the House of Dior. Military service and subsequent inhuman therapy lead to Laurent's nervous exhaustion. After leaving the clinic, she weighs 35 kg. Starts drinking.

1961–1968
Creates own house fashion - YSL. In 1968, Coco Chanel names Saint Laurent as her spiritual successor. He tries to quit drinking and finds himself in a deep creative crisis. Only after returning to alcohol does it start to work again.

1969–1985
There is no end to ingenious fashion discoveries; Laurent is considered the founder of the unisex style. Success is accompanied by excessive alcohol consumption. In 1977, he launched Opium perfume. In 1985 he became a Knight of the Legion of Honor.

1986–2002
Experiences depression, goes into the stage of quiet alcoholism. He is in rehabilitation clinics. Receives the Order of the Legion of Honor. In 2002, he left his fashion house, staging his last show, about which Karl Lagerfeld said: “Why say how much you suffered while creating a cocktail dress? For God's sake! People don’t buy dresses to contemplate the drama of a sobbing alcoholic!”

2003–2008
He quits drinking and working. Until the end of his days he lives in his homes in Normandy and Morocco in the company of only a French bulldog named Man.

Drinking buddies

He shared champagne with her in times of triumph and failure. She was his muse and spoke of him like this: “His daytime models help a woman to confront the world of strangers... But in the evening, when she remains with the one she chose, Saint Laurent makes her seductive.”

A close friend and, of course, lover of Saint Laurent. Was his right hand, ran his fashion house. He didn’t like to drink himself, but he became a drinking companion in order to somehow control Iva during alcoholic exercises.

Yves Henri Donat Mathieu Saint Laurent (French Yves Henri Donat Mathieu-Saint-Laurent; August 1, 1936, Oran, Algeria - June 1, 2008, Paris, France) - one of the leading French of the twentieth century. Considered the founder of the style. He became the first to use black models in his shows.

Biography and career

Yves Saint Laurent was born on August 1, 1936 in Algeria to Charles and Lucienne André Mathieu Saint Laurent. The boy grew up in a Mediterranean villa with two younger sisters, Michelle and Brigitte. Since childhood, Yves loved to tinker with paper dolls, and in adolescence began to design outfits for his mother and sisters.

When a young man turns 18, he leaves for Paris, where he easily entered the School of Paris, and also began working as an independent designer.

That same year, he entered three of his works into a competition for young designers organized by the International Wool Secretariat. Tall, thin and shy, Yves Saint Laurent charmed the commission and won the competition, although he still had to share the victory with another young fashion designer from Germany. This is how a feud began between Yves Saint Laurent and him, which lasted for decades.

In December, at an awards ceremony, Yves Saint Laurent met Michel de Brunhoff, then editor-in-chief of French, who immediately noted the young man’s design talent.

A year later, the young man again took part in the Wolmark competition and this time won single-handedly, leaving behind both his friend Fernando Sanchez and his main rival Karl Lagerfeld.

After his victory, Yves Saint Laurent decides to show some of his designs to Michel de Brunhoff. Having seen the sketches, the editor finds a lot in them common features with drawings that he showed him that same morning. Marveling at this coincidence, Michel de Brunhoff immediately referred the young man to Dior, who in turn, without hesitation, hired Laurent.

“Dior fascinated me. When he appeared in front of me, I was speechless. He taught me the basics of my art. No matter what happened in my life later, I never forgot the years I spent next to him.”

Despite the fact that Dior almost immediately recognized Laurent as a future master, the young man spent a whole year doing rather modest work, such as studio decoration and design. However, after some time, he was given the honor of developing sketches for the collection. With each new season, Dior approves more and more more ideas Yves Saint Laurent. In August 1957, he specially meets with his mother young man to tell her that he had decided to choose her son as his successor. Laurent's mother later admitted that this statement embarrassed her extremely, because Dior was only 52 years old at that time. However, after a few months, everyone was surprised to learn that the great died of a severe heart attack in one of the sports and fitness complexes in Northern Italy.

So, at the age of 21, Yves Saint Laurent becomes the head of one of the most famous Fashion Houses in the world. Despite his youth, Laurent still managed to meet the expectations of his patron. His spring 1958 collection saved him from seemingly imminent financial ruin. The collection was characterized by straight lines forming trapezoidal shapes, in which many critics saw a softer version of Dior's.

"This guy will save Haute Couture"

— the French press wrote about Willow.

At the same time, the designer shortened his surname to simply “Saint Laurent”, since international media found his triple name too difficult to spell.

In the same 1958, Laurent's second collection was released, but it not only did not receive previous praise, but was even subject to some attacks. The reason was the narrow long skirts present in the collection with an interception below the knees (the so-called hobble skirts, from the English hobble - to limp), as well as motifs characteristic of beatnik fashion. However, already in the same year Yves Saint Laurent is awarded the Neiman Marcus Prize.

In 1959, Farah Diba, then a Parisian student, marries the Shah of Iran and asks Yves Saint Laurent to sew her a wedding dress.

In 1960, the designer was called up for military service and sent to the front in Africa, where the Algerian War of Independence was going on at that time. According to rumors, Marcel Boussac himself, the owner of the Fashion House, insisted on this, thereby wanting to get rid of the unwanted designer.

The young man spent only 20 days in military service, after which he suffered a nervous attack. In the hospital, Laurent learns that he has been fired from Dior., and this news completely undermined his psychological health. Yves is demobilized from the army and sent to Val-de-Grâce for treatment. There, the young man is pumped with sedatives and other psychotropic drugs, and also undergoes courses of electroconvulsive therapy. All this, according to Yves Saint Laurent himself, subsequently led to his deepest mental disorder and problems with drugs.

In November 1960, he was discharged from the hospital, after which Yves Saint Laurent sued Dior for breach of contract and won the case.

Founding of the Yves Saint Laurent brand

In 1961, Yves Saint Laurent met his future lover Pierre Berger, with whom he founded his own company, "" with the money of Atlanta millionaire J. Mac Robinson. Berger remains loyal to the very end business partner Laurana.

During the 60s and 70s, Laurent was at the center of fashion events, creating black leather jackets, turtleneck sweaters, short skirts, pantsuits, sheer, styled, etc.

Saint Laurent's first independent collection was released in 1962. In 1964 he released his first fragrance, “Y”. In 1965, a collection based on the paintings of Piet Mondrian was published. In 1966, Laurent, for the first time in fashion history, offered tuxedos for women, which would later become a distinctive brand of the brand. In 1971, the first men's fragrance was released, for advertising campaign of which Yves Saint Laurent stars nude. In 1977, Opium perfume appeared, the sale of which was banned in many countries, since some authorities saw hidden drug propaganda in its name. However, this did not prevent the fragrance from enjoying worldwide success.

Yves Saint Laurent becomes the first designer to launch a full-fledged line.

In addition, he becomes the first European designer who dared to use ethnic motifs of other cultures in his projects, as well as the first fashion designer who was not afraid to show his outfits on dark-skinned models.

Despite the fact that not all of Yves Saint Laurent's collections received rave reviews from the press, in the 60s and 70s he was considered one of the elite of French fashion. The designer was a regular at legendary clubs in Paris and New York, such as Regine’s and Studio 54, where he gained a reputation as an alcoholic and cocaine lover.

By this time, Yves Saint Laurent is developing not only 2 haute couture collections, but also 2 ready-to-wear collections every year. Such a load, coupled with general health problems, ultimately leads to the fact that the designer begins to abuse drugs more and more. It comes to the point that at some shows he only has enough strength to get down from the floor, but the models themselves actually pulled him back under the arms.

Later years and death

In 1981, the fashion designer was awarded an award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America, and in 1983, Yves Saint Laurent became the first designer to whom an exhibition was dedicated during his lifetime at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. In 1985 he was awarded the title of Chevalier of the Legion of Honor, and in 2001, President Jacques Chirac awarded him the title of Commander of the Legion of Honor.

In 1987, the ill-fated ready-to-wear line was released, where jackets in the “” style were decorated with diamonds worth 100 thousand dollars. The show was held just a few days after the collapse stock exchange, an event that later became known as “Black Monday”. In this regard, the luxury that reigned in the collection seemed simply inappropriate to many. Disappointed, Yves Saint Laurent placed control of the line in the hands of his assistants, in particular, after which critics began to find it “boring”.

In 2002, Yves Saint Laurent finally retired and increasingly moved away from the world., living a reclusive life in his private homes in France and Morocco with his beloved bulldog named Man.

In 2007, Nicolas Sarkozy awarded Yves Saint Laurent the title of Grand Officer of the Legion of Honor.

The outstanding French designer dies on June 1, 2008 in his Paris apartment from brain cancer. According to newspaper The New York Times, a few days before his death, Yves Saint Laurent entered into a same-sex civil union with Pierre Berger.

The fashion designer's funeral took place in the Paris Catholic Church of St. Roch. Laurent's body was cremated and his ashes were scattered in the Moroccan garden of Majorelle, which the designer often visited during his lifetime in search of inspiration.

In 2010, a large-scale retrospective exhibition dedicated to creative path French couturier.

Throughout his life, Yves Saint Laurent had many beloved clients, and, of course, his muses were always women. One of them was a supermodel, whom Laurent himself once called “the woman of dreams.” The others were Loulou de la Falaise, Betty Catroux, Talitha Paul-Getty, Catherine Deneuve, Nicole Dorier, Katusha Nian, Rebecca Aeko and Laetitia Casta.

Yves Saint Laurent is responsible for many inventions in the field of fashion. Exactly he gave the world low-heeled pumps with a square toe and a metal buckle, geometric black and white graphic patterns, dresses that have no sleeves or collar. When designing women's outfits, the designer often borrowed elements from the men's wardrobe. Thanks to him, the ladies dressed in trouser business suits, but the main “ business card"and the women's tuxedo will forever remain a symbol of his unique style.

Despite all his services to fashion, Yves Saint Laurent continued to remain a deeply unhappy and lonely man until his death.

“Unfortunately, Yves was not created for joy. He was an unhappy man with no taste for life. Of course, sometimes he had happy moments, however, in general he found life very difficult. He was overcome by constant depression."

- Pierre Berger.

Famous sayings

• Over the years, I realized that the most important thing in a dress is the woman who wears it.
• In this life, I regret only one thing - that I didn’t invent jeans.
• Clothes should be subordinated to the woman's personality, and not vice versa.
• Love is the best cosmetics. But it’s easier to buy cosmetics.
• My dresses are designed for women who can afford to travel with forty suitcases.
• One “beautiful” day it was announced on the radio that I had died. Crowds of journalists rushed towards me. I had to say that it was all a lie: here I am, alive and almost healthy. But for some reason they didn’t want to believe me at all, although they saw me with their own eyes.
• The best clothing for a woman is the embrace of a man who loves her. But for those who are deprived of such happiness, there is me.

Bianca Jagger interviews Yves Saint Laurent (January 1973)

DB:What's on your mind, Yves?
ISL: Many things…

DB:And everyone is super nice?
ISL: Can not say.

DB:Do you think it will be comfortable to talk while standing next to this machine? Not the best place.
ISL: I'd like to sit somewhere.

DB:Voila! What a wonderful place, Monsignor Yves Saint Laurent! (laughs).
ISL: Miss Jay (both laugh).

DB:Why did you choose women as your source of inspiration? Were you hoping to discover something new? Did they disappoint you during your work?
ISL: Disappointed? Not at all! Of course not. Absolutely impossible.

DB: Do you think you're doing a good job? Are you giving everything you want to give?
ISL: Women?

DB: Do you have a particular image of a woman that occupies a dominant position in your imagination?
ISL: No, because I never tried to find one the ideal woman. I have a lot of them.

DB: Several ideal women?
ISL: Yes. For me, every new model that I present is a prototype of the ideal woman...

DB:If you weren't a designer, what would you do?
ISL: Lived

DB: Did the people you were emotionally close to influence your work in any way?
ISL: Yes, and there were quite a lot of such people.

DB:Have they changed your view of women?
ISL: Yes, and radically so. Many women with whom I communicated quite closely, as well as close friends, at one time made very significant changes to my previous vision. So, for example, after I met Talitha Getty, Talitha - do you know her?

DB: Yes.
ISL:...my idea of ​​women has changed completely.

DB: Did she influence your idea of ​​a woman?
ISL: Yes, completely and completely.

DB: Have men had a similar influence on your work?
ISL: Never and under no circumstances.

DB: Not even a bit?
ISL: No.

DB: No! However, from time to time, women appeared in your life who became your... perfect inspiration.
ISL: What's true is true. There are women who literally changed the way I look at fashion, and if I hadn't exposed them back in the day, I would never have reached the level that I have now.

DB:What do you do when you have to dress a woman who cannot boast of either a pretty face or beauty of form?
ISL: I try to avoid these poor things. I like it when circumstances are more favorable.

DB: Do you separate male and female female images? These two genders? Or are both extensions of the same thing for you? Or maybe a woman is generally an ambiguous creature for you?
ISL: Why do you keep asking me about women? Because I'm a couturier?

DB:No, it's more general question. You work with people, define them...
ISL: No.

DB:No?
ISL: This is absolutely not true.

DB:I was talking about...
ISL: No. To me they are just people I work with. I love them, I am attracted to them, physically or spiritually. However, I have never tried to classify them in any way.

DB: Do you like brave people?
ISL: Yes, sure.

DB:What about people who talk about fashion?
ISL: Well, of course. I can't stand them. I generally hate fashion as such. I love making clothes, but I hate fashion.

DB: And also talking about her...
ISL: Yes (both laugh).

DB:Then I need to think about what else to talk to you about. I really like the way you work, because you have a kind of hypersensitivity.
ISL: Yes Yes.

DB: …And so you always look for beauty in everything you do.
ISL: Yes, I am in constant search. I'm a great esthete.

DB: You are looking not just for beauty, but for perfection. Do you know about this?
ISL: Certainly. And I can't refuse this.

DB: Have you ever felt like you were cheated?
ISL: Nobody has ever deceived me because I don't care about people.

DB: Do you look for any special qualities in people?
ISL: No, because ultimately I'm only interested in how I see these people myself. I project my idea of ​​their personality onto them. If I'm wrong about something, it concerns only myself. All that matters to me is what I see in my mind's eye, not what actually is.

DB:What I admire most about you is that you always give people some credit.
ISL: I always do this with everyone I come into contact with.

DB: What do you think of Erta?
ISL: Oh, I just adore him. He's amazing. I feel that we are close in spirit, and I do not have any feelings of jealousy towards him.

DB:I know. And this is another reason why I admire you.
ISL: I always know exactly what I'm doing and what I like.

DB:This is such a rarity in your fashion world, where most people are quite insecure.
ISL: And you have studied me quite well (laughs).

DB: I'm good at observing. I realized that you strive to be above material things. You live in your own imaginary world.
ISL: Yes it is possible. This is definitely true. I probably would even like to have more points of contact with reality. I feel like I've become a little distant from the world. However, I like to take the place of an outside observer.

DB:Was there a woman, or maybe women, in your life whom you truly loved?
ISL: Yes. One or two.

DB: What did they mean to you?
ISL: There was nothing aesthetic in our relationship. In the sense that they were never my muses. For me it was a completely new feeling, and it was in no way related to fashion.

DB:Has this feeling influenced your creative activity?
ISL: No, I would never love a woman who could not interest me in anything. And also a woman with whom we would be connected during creative or work moments, because otherwise I would feel like I was taking something important away from her.

DB:What do you think about this country? About America?
ISL: I just adore her. A very extravagant, new country.

DB: Don't you feel a little out of place here?
ISL: No and you?

DB: A little.
ISL: I like to communicate with people in a homely atmosphere. I live very isolated and often feel lonely.

DB:I like America, but everything here surprises me. It feels like the local society is just beginning its climb up the social ladder.
ISL: But people here are exactly the same as everywhere else. There are so many extraordinary personalities here.

DB:There are so many creative people here because there is a lot of competition.
ISL: The people here seem much closer to each other. You feel a real invisible connection even between strangers.

DB:Do you like it?
ISL: Oh yes, because I myself am very timid.

DB: I always get a little lost when people try to get under my skin after just a few minutes of meeting me. It happens that I instantly warm to a new person, and this does not depend on the country where he comes from. However, while I have not yet figured out whether I like this person or not, excessive pressure is scary.
ISL: It all depends on the circumstances. There are professions where fanatical devotion strangers is only beneficial.

DB:However, you also need to get used to this.
ISL: That's for sure (both laugh).

DB:Are you annoyed by overly intrusive women?
ISL: On the contrary, I adore them very much.

DB:And they don't even bother you?
ISL: Not at all.

DB:You reached the highest level of fame at a very early age. Did this upset you?
ISL: Maybe. I would like to get acquainted with other things - more interesting, more real and not so superficial.

DB:What else would you like to do after you leave modeling?
ISL: After that? I would like... I would really like to write... More precisely, I would really like to write a book. Very very beautiful book, in which I would talk about everything that I love so much, reflect on life, men, women and beauty... Something like a memoir. However, right now I still don't have the right amount of patience that needs to be spent on this. I'm waiting for the right time.

DB:You should start doing this right now.
ISL: Now I can take notes.

DB: IN do you always do them? Do you type at night?
ISL: Something like that, although in reality everything happens a little differently.

DB:I've seen some of your gorgeous drawings. Has it ever occurred to you to publish them?
ISL: It came.

DB:And when will this happen?
ISL: I have no idea.

DB:Do you want to publish a book...
ISL: In any case, there is still very little material, but I really want to publish them. It's quite difficult. I don’t know yet how this can be done, because you saw for yourself, there is quite a lot of eroticism there.

DB:You have dared many things in life, dare this too. Beauty is beauty.
ISL: Without a doubt (laughs).