By now, most of you will probably have heard that Yves Saint Laurent sadly passed away last night in his home at the age of 71, as announced by his partner Pierre Berge.
I can't help but go back to my review of the book 'The Beautiful Fall', which I have read and re-read countless times, always concluding that I ended up sympathising and rooting for Yves more than Lagerfeld, perhaps under the guidance of Alice Drake's prose. That said, the book does end up questioning who has the last laugh, and now Lagerfeld having outlived Yves Saint Laurent and still wildly successful could be called the victor of the rivalry. As a lot of the papers have said though, Yves was the last of French Fashion's 'Holy Trinity' (Coco Chanel and Christian Dior comprising the rest of the trio...) and as a personal opinion, the impact of Yves' intentions, creativity and vision is so deep felt in fashion that though he ceased designing in 2002, the aftershocks of his work will continue rippling in the way we dress.
That's so sad. May he rest in peace...
And.. Merci Monsieur Saint Laurent!
Posted by: Mademoisell~e | 02 June 2008 at 09:37
it does sort of feel like a fashion era has died with him, he achieved so much along with the rest of the 'holy trinity' in changing the way we think about dressing women.
Posted by: MHBass | 02 June 2008 at 09:55
I am really sad too. I feel like he was just a designer and Karl has become a product.
It feels like all the great designers from history are gone now.
Posted by: coco | 02 June 2008 at 10:30
Dear Monsieur Saint Laurent
Thank you for sharing your genius with us and for all the beauty and elegance you created and brought to the world.
Everything I know about style, quality, design and fashion, your clothes as worn by my mother, taught me. The shadow of your spirit and style looms large in my daily life now as an adult.
I look forward to meeting you in the next world. May your soul rest in peace and may God bless you!
with much love and deepest admiration,
K
Posted by: k | 02 June 2008 at 11:05
that's such a lovely post... he's certainly given so much to us all even though he battled gripping depression and loneliness... perhaps now his soul will finally get some rest.
Posted by: lady coveted | 02 June 2008 at 11:50
it's a very sad news, yes. last year a saw your review on The Beutiful Fall and a month ago I bought it and read it, so I have fresh thoughts about him.
you chose the right photo for this post.
Posted by: raluca | 02 June 2008 at 13:00
Well I'm on his side - always have been.
Genius and suffered.
Posted by: Make Do & Mend | 02 June 2008 at 13:29
I prefer YSL to Lagerfeld, YSL seems to hold an effortless charm and no offence but I believe that Karl does seem to pimp out the Chanel past collections a bit too much, and there’s always the consistent wft moment in a Chanel runway show,. I remember watching a documentary years ago on Chanel, their runway show was being put on at the same time as the YSL show, (the more I think about it, it might have been the 2002 show with YSL’s last collection, but don’t quote me on that) and you did feel sorry for Karl as you felt that he was trying to hard, to match up with YSL. P.S love the blog, and is it just me or was Yves Saint Laurent quite the handsome chappy in his young days.
Posted by: LD | 02 June 2008 at 13:36
He was most definitely a handsome chappy...buff too! Did you see that Jean Loup Sieff YSL 'Pour Homme' ad where YSL posed in the nude?!
Posted by: susie_bubble | 02 June 2008 at 13:44
I have the book The Beautiful Fall sitting right next to me! That's too funny. I prefer YSL to KL always but even more so after reading the book
Posted by: fashionwhore | 02 June 2008 at 16:10
So sad... Hopefully Pierre Berge will carry on taking care of the legacy of Yves Saint Laurent: not only with the tremendous archives at the Paris Fondation: Fondation Pierre Berge - Yves Saint Laurent : www.ysl-hautecouture.com that we can visit but is the major retrospective of the 40 years of YSL creative work at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, just opened on May 29, later traveling to San Francisco, at the De Young Museum in the end of October.
However Rendez-Vous in Paris on Thursday at the St Roch Church 3:30PM for the last bow of the Master...
Posted by: Nathalie Doucet | 02 June 2008 at 18:02
A true master showman, enfant terrible, and a creative mind. We could never get too much of Monsieur Yves.
I'll play nostalgia on that final show of YSL showing all Yves' works a few years back. It's hard to part ways with one of fashion's most loved icons.
Posted by: giancinephile | 02 June 2008 at 19:24
no way, too early for "last laugh," and I think YSL will come out on top for integrity and enduring influence.
i also read his couture shows were mesmerizing works of art.
Posted by: fashionherald | 02 June 2008 at 21:53
I was surprised when I heared the news yesterday, 71 seems still too young to me. YSL Beauté HQ is located in the same building as my office, but it just seemed a day like any other for them, I wonder if they even knew.
Posted by: kim | 03 June 2008 at 08:18