March 20, 2025 | Posted in Blog
When you’re thinking of contemporary and seductive haute couture or luxe ready-to-wear pieces, Yves Saint Laurent (YSL) is the fashion house that will come to the forefront of many a fashion lover’s mind.
Changing the game since its inception, YSL remains a truly ground-breaking luxury brand, focusing on the Parisian-chic look that many of us have fantasised about.
The fashion? Exquisite. The styling? Next level. The founder? A legend.
As we take a look at YSL and its impact on the industry, we’ll delve into the highs and lows of this légendaire fashion house and the people who made it such a staple of the designer market to this day.
So, let’s take a look down fashion memory lane…
Born in Auran, Algeria, on August 1, 1936, Yves Henri Donat Mathieu-Saint Laurent had a passion for designing from a very young age.
“My mother spent nearly all her time dressing up. I was fascinated by the dresses she wore every evening.” – Yves Saint Laurent.
He’d taken a risk by moving to Paris for a career in theatrical costumes and women’s fashions, and by 17 years old, he was a fashion student at École de la Chambre Syndicale de la haute couture.
He would gain a little bit of notoriety after winning an international design contest, but this was just the start. His win would bring him to the attention of a Vogue executive, who subsequently showed some of his sketches to Christian Dior. Before he was even of legal age, he was hired as Dior’s assistant, becoming his protégé.
Slowly, more and more of Saint Laurent’s designs featured on Dior’s runways and, after Christian Dior’s death in 1957, the still very young fashion designer became the creative director.
His first collection with the House of Dior in 1958 had rave reviews, but as he continued to release collections, it was clear that his vision did not align with Dior’s typical clientele.
In 1960, he was drafted for military duty and, after clear mental health difficulties, was fired from Dior. This was obviously not the end, and if there’s a word that describes Yves Saint Laurent, it is determination.
Saint Laurent, alongside his partner Pierre Bergé, started YSL in 1961, and his super chic yet completely fresh designs won over the Parisian audience pretty quickly. The pieces were innovation in motion, and in a decade of change, this was what the fashion world was looking for.
In the first year of the brand, Saint Laurent and Bergé commissioned graphic designer Cassandre to create the now famous intertwined YSL logo – it is still used today, representing the simple but elegant style of the brand.
YSL’s designs featured art-inspiration and, possibly more controversially, an androgynous look. Notable collections include 1965 Autumn/Winter, where the 26 looks were inspired by the artist, Mondrian, and YSL’s pop art collection in 1966.
Solidifying its presence on the market, Yves Saint Laurent was quick to get the first YSL fragrance, ‘Y’, out there in 1964
YSL would also release a plethora of trousers for women, taking them from a practical option for working women and making them popular for stylish women too, ignoring the gender-norms of the time. The ‘Le Smoking’ tuxedo debuted in 1966 and, despite women wearing traditionally masculine clothes in public still being taboo, was a smash hit.
There was an understanding in every piece of a woman’s need for functionality while still looking their best. Icons like Liza Minelli and Bianca Jagger were among the first to wear YSL trousers out and about, solidifying its impact.
“Saint Laurent’s women are from harems, castles, and even the suburbs; they are all over the streets, subways, dime stores, and stock exchanges.” – Yves Saint Laurent.
The brand also had an understanding of the current culture women were living in, embracing second-wave feminism. Sheer and transparent tops became a YSL staple, with every design refusing to hide the female form.
Saint Laurent as a designer had training in Haute Couture – it was the standard of the time but, in 1966, YSL became the first couturier to create a completely separate ready-to-wear line that was widely well-received. A ready-to-wear boutique would open in Paris that year, with one in New York opening in 1968 and one in London the following year. A ready-to-wear menswear store would also be opened.
Ready-to-wear pieces by YSL, falling under the ‘Rive Gauche’ name, were unique but still had that luxe feel, catering to younger fashionistas on the hunt for the next big trend. It wasn’t just ‘cheaper luxury’; it was experimental style. Saint Laurent used the boutiques as a showcase for his newer, riskier ideas.
“Trends pass by, style is eternal. Fashion is futile, style is not. One should not let one’s fingers burn on the fire of fashion. Style enriches, develops, fortifies.’ – Yves Saint Laurent.
As glamorous metallic designs took over YSL’s catalogue in the late 60s, the brand would slightly pivot in the 70s as Saint Laurent became enamoured with traditional Russian costume, which inspired the brand’s haute peasant look.
Colourful and decadent, this collection was all about wearable drama, and it started to trend almost instantly. Vogue would say, “The new turn – the new excitement – in fashion is the new feeling for ornamentation. It’s the fashion breeze that started at Saint Laurent.”
By this point, YSL was truly international and American consumers especially adored this collection.
Within this decade, YSL expanded further, creating more accessories, fragrances and menswear collections.
In 1978, YSL beauty was launched, complementing the clothing perfectly with high-end cosmetics. YSL Beauty is now owned by L’Oréal, separate from the Fashion House.
The 80s would come, and the brand’s influence would continue with jumpsuits, asymmetrical designs, party looks, and the classic wide power shoulder, all gracing its runways. In 1983, New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art would hold a retrospective of Saint Laurent’s revolutionary designs.
“Fashion is a party. Dressing up is getting prepared to play a role.” – Yves Saint Laurent.
The 90s would start off with a bang for YSL thanks to its 1990 Spring/Summer collection, which was inspired by some of Saint Laurent’s favourite famous figures. This included Marilyn Monroe, Zizi Jeanmaire, Marcel Proust, Catherine Deneuve, Bernard Buffet, and, maybe surprisingly, Christian Dior.
With the new decade, the YSL silhouette would evolve. Shorter but sophisticated dresses became prominent, with colour taking a backseat to favour more sleek looks. The runways would feature smoky eyes and red lips, plus slicked-back hair.
Though possibly more glamorous than ever, YSL remained the rock ‘n’ roll outlier when it came to fashion in the 90s, something Saint Laurent was proud of.
“Chanel freed women and I empowered them.” – Yves Saint Laurent.
As a pioneer within the industry, Saint Laurent championed models of colour, making sure models from different ethnic backgrounds walked his shows. This continued in the 90s with legendary supermodels of that era like Naomi Campbell, Shalom Harlow, and Yasmeen Ghauri being featured on the YSL runway.
In 1998, Saint Laurent would pass on the ready-to-wear side of YSL to designer Alber Elbaz. A short but sweet era, Elbaz brought in plume tops, lightweight chiffons and rich golden satin coats. His vision was fun and fresh, but in 1999, Gucci purchased the YSL brand, and Tom Ford was brought in as Creative Director, taking over from Elbaz.
Tom Ford, as he did with many of his projects, brought sensuality to YSL. A lot was expected from Ford as creative director, but this would end up being a controversial time in his career as well as YSL’s history.
Ford’s approach and style clearly contrasted with Yves Saint Laurent’s vision, and that’s where tensions began. Their aesthetics were too different, and Saint Laurent felt like Ford was damaging his legacy. It wasn’t that Ford’s YSL collections were particularly unpopular; they were just a contrast to what had come before.
Yves Saint Laurent officially retired in 2002, but the passion for his namesake would always remain. The same year, the brand would show its last haute couture collection.
When Ford left in 2004, Saint Laurent said, “Finally, Ford is leaving. I have suffered for what he did with my name. Thankfully, the damage is not irreversible.”
Stefano Pilati took over from Ford and began creating collections that were more faithful to YSL’s original vision. He even brought back a reworked version of the Le Smoking.
In his eight-year tenure, Pilati would also create the staple YSL piece of the naughties, the Tribute Sandal. Icons of the time like Lindsay Lohan, Kourtney Kardashian, and Kate Moss were all seen in a pair.
On the 1st of June 2008, Yves Saint Laurent passed away at the age of 71. Screens were erected outside the church during his funeral for his admirers to watch.
His business partner of 50 years and husband, Pierre Bergé, said, “How young and beautiful was the Paris morning when we met. You were leading your first battle. You were glorious that day, and since then, that glory has never left you.”
As many fashion houses do, YSL would continue to create and influence after its founder’s passing.
Hedi Slimane was the creative director for YSL menswear in the 90s, and in 2012, he returned as Creative Director for the brand. He was edgy and brought back YSL’s rock ‘n’ roll aesthetic. He also controversially rebranded it to ‘Saint Laurent’ and brought back haute couture collections.
Reimagining a beloved brand like YSL was always going to be a risk, and many didn’t like it, but on the other hand, many enjoyed it and even saw it as a nod to Saint Laurent’s risk-taking approach from decades earlier. After all, YSL didn’t set trends, it made them.
Slimane’s designs still had an elegant Parisian flare, and his 2016 Autumn/Winter collection paid homage to the YSL styles of the 80s. This would end up being his swan song, and he would be succeeded by Anthony Vaccarello in 2016.
He was only 34 and had a lot to live up to, but he took it in his stride.
Taking a page out of Saint Laurent’s book when it came to messing with gender norms, Varcello’s first show for Autumn/Winter 2017 had a mixture of womenswear and menswear for the first time.
He remains the creative director to this day and has had some hits and misses. His approach is to never erase YSL’s past, but he’s still putting his stamp on the brand. He is now also the last creative director to get Pierre Bergé’s approval as he sadly passed away in 2017.
Pierre would say to Anthony, “Please do your own version of Saint Laurent; try to never copy him.”
YSL’s shoes, accessories, beauty products and fragrances are best-sellers across the board, and when it comes to the clothes, you can still see it on runways, red carpets, and the streets.
Celebrities like Anne Hathaway, Halle Berry, Zoe Kravitz, Austin Butler, and Dua Lipa have all majorly backed the brand.
Under Varcello, YSL’s glam-rock, contemporary edge stays relevant. On its catwalks today, you’ll see lace silhouettes and structured yet oversized pieces. There are hints of the past, but it still keeps the attention of a new generation as the term ‘fashion influencer’ takes on a new meaning.
We’re living in a world of minimalism when it comes to fashion, but YSL’s intricate designs and bold accessories are still happily taking up space – a testament to its staying power.
As mentioned before, YSL has garnered itself a reputation for being elegant and glamorous but with an edge. It’s a brand that continues to influence fashion as a whole, and over the decades, it has had some truly stand-out products that put its name on the map.
Here are a few of our absolute faves:
Starting with a recent YSL staple, the Mini le 5 À 7 Shoulder Bag definitely has a hold on a lot of us. Sleek, simple, and very much on trend, you can style this leather beauty with so many different outfits.
Boleros have popped up in YSL collections for four decades, combining a masculine and feminine look effortlessly. In the 80s, they were indecribly decadent, with larger shoulders, but more modern iterations have a sophisticated, tailored look. For a longer jacket that still has these vibes, we have to shout out the YSL double-breasted wool blazer.
We’ve already spoken about this pop culture staple. A pair of these was on all of our Christmas lists in the 00s and 2010s – the styling will forever be iconic.
The 1965 Autumn/Winter Mondrian collection was truly a moment for YSL, and when many people think of vintage Saint Laurent, they’ll think of the Mondrian dress, which featured the sack silhouette that defined 60s fashion. It was inspired by Mondrian’s 1929 painting ‘Composition II in Red, Blue, and Yellow’ and is still, to this day, easily recognisable.
This list wouldn’t be complete without one of YSL’s popular fragrances, and the Black Opium Eau De Parfum has been a hit for over a decade now. The opium fragrance was originally released in 1977, but Black Opium was a 2014 refresh of the fragrance, with notes of black coffee and vanilla.
Worn by celebs like Bella Hadid and named after model Jamie Bochert, the Jamie bag is slouchy and easy-going. It was originally released in 2018 but was reinvented in 2023 as the Jamie 4.3. The house’s Carré Rive Gauche quilted motif is front and centre here, and we love the large, convenient flap. There’s a whole Jamie bag collection now, so take your pick.
Now this is what you call ‘on brand’. A unique take on a stiletto pump, these heels are basically artwork. Made from metal and leather, the craftsmanship here is beyond impressive.
Touche Éclat
Finally, we couldn’t forget a favourite from YSL Beauty. The Touche Éclat can be found in makeup bags all over the world, with the illuminating formula concealing and brightening the skin. Calendula extract and Vitamin E makes this kind to the skin too.
If you’re looking to add a touch of luxury to your wardrobe with a quality designer bag, Your Dream Bag may be just what you’re looking for.
With our handpicked selection of designer handbags and accessories and easy-to-enter competitions, getting your hands on your next fashion fave is just a few clicks away.
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