Yves Saint Laurent

"Fashions fade, style is eternal." So said one of fashion's greats, Yves Saint Laurent, who passed away in Paris on June 1. He will be missed.

Yves Saint Laurent was born in Oran, Algeria, where he spent all of his youth. He began his long and illustrious fashion career in 1954, when he moved to Paris to attend the Chambre syndicale de la Haute Couture school. In Paris, he met Christian Dior and immediately became his assistant. Three years later, he took Dior's place when the older man passed away.

In 1961, he created the Yves Saint Laurent couture house (with Pierre Bergé), and presented his first collection in January of 1962. Four years later, the first Saint Laurent Rive Gauche ready-to-wear boutique opened in Paris.

Saint Laurent continued to awe and impress with his collections, and at the 20th anniversary celebration of his couture house in 1982, he received the prestigious CFDA award. A year later, he became the first living artist to have his works exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The French president awarded him the Legion of Honor in 1985.

The fashion legend retired in January of 2002 and is now no longer with us, but his label lives on. His work has been showcased all over the world, from New York to Beijing to Sydney, and everywhere in between.

To see Yves Saint Laurent collections, click here.

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