Au Revoir Yves Saint Laurent

The Champs Elysee will shine brighter and the Eiffel Tower's lights will eternally glow because of the maestro of fashion who made Paris important to the world. The final Au Revoir was said to the monsieur who transformed women's wear and catapulted Paris to a fashion capital last year. Along with CoCo Chanel and Christian Dior, Monsieur Yves Saint Laurent changed society by making it acceptable for women to wear trousers. On France' Info radio his longtime partner and business associate, Pierre Berge stated that, "Gabrielle Chanel gave women freedom, Yves Saint Laurent gave them power."

Fashion historians have long stated that Yves Saint Laurent was the most important designer of the second half of the twentieth century. He had a deep affinity for women giving them credit for his artistry. Saint Laurent believed in the independent career woman and that she ought to be comfortable and not restricted by her garments. "I think its more interesting to see the body of a woman when she wears something free...loose. Its more intriguing," he revealed during an early interview on the History Channel. Although Saint Laurent changed society with his designs, he revolutionized the world by artistically fighting against ill conceived notions in society that encouraged racism and sexism and more then anything he was the designer who loved and celebrated the beauty of womanhood.

In Our Own Skin
Born in Africa in the city of Oran, {located in Algeria} Yves Saint Laurent's background contributed to his diverse artistry that peeled away at the ignorant wounds of a mis-educated world that accepted separatism and segregation based on race, gender and culture. Saint Laurent was instrumental in redefining the perception of beauty as he became the most recognizable designers to utilize les femmes noirs in his collection. At a time when women without pallid vanilla complexions were considered not beautiful enough to be models, Saint Laurent made them his principal mannequins. By embracing the exclusive aesthetics possessed by women of colour from unique backgrounds, Saint Laurent strongly contributed to eradicating the WASP mentality of how beauty is defined.

The designer disputed the Arayan belief of what beauty is. Arayan notions define beauty as Patrician features, a pure white complexion, blond hair (occasionaly brown) but nothing outside of that spectrum. Saint Laurent did not think that women of colour needed to replicate European women in order to be thought of as beautiful. He was convinced that they were beautiful in their own skin, just as they were without alterations and changes. He architected his thoughts to a dimension that changed the dynamics of fashion, history and society. Because of Yves Saint Laurent's openness and adoration for exotic women, the world was exposed to the alluring ethnic diversity within women of colour. From shimmering ebony complexions to golden browns to earthy peach tones and an array of assorted eyes, cheekbones and noses the exotic look became a desirable look . This ideal was accepted by other designers and photographers in the future and contributed to giving birth the careers of monumental black models such as Mounia, Katoucha, Diya, Iman, Georgianna Robertson, Liya Kabede, Alek Wek, Noemie Lenoir, Naomi Campbell and many more.

The Once and Future King
Saint Laurent began his career serving as an apprentice to Christian Dior in the sixties. He later became the head designer at Dior. He was regarded as the most prestigous couturier in an industry of high aristocracy and wealth. Saint Laurent took the risk of being shunned by the elite whom pre-occupy themselves with the ladders of race and class which has always truthfully positioned people of colour at the very bottom no matter how wealthy they are. In addition to having to work against the elitist mentality, Saint Laurent implicated his fashion idealism during the 1960's and 70's -a time when colonialism flourished and Jim Crow laws were prevalent. Racism was an acceptable normality across the world then. Never paying attention to rules, Yves preferred to always be himself. Paris Match quoted Saint Laurent as saying,"elegance should not be confused for snobbery." Berge told France 2 that: "He (Yves) was a libertarian, an anarchic and he threw bombs at the legs of society. That's how he transformed society and thats how he transformed women."

In a call-in to Britain's Channel four, Model and Human Rights Activist, Naomi Campbell reminisced about the designer who transformed her life at the age of sixteen. "My first Vogue cover was because of him. I remember when I told him they wouldn't give a black girl the cover of French Vogue he said he would take care of it and he did. He was extremely important in my career giving me my first jobs and working with him for decades. He used me in all his advertisements...all his commercials. As a woman of colour I'm very sad."

As one of the models whom the couturier had an affinity for and part of his exclusive pool of stunningly beautiful mannequins, Campbell credits Saint Laurent with launching her career and helping her attain the highest stature of success in modeling. The unique looking Jamaican girl with the British accent and Chinese blood ended up becoming the most successful black model that ever lived and one third of "the holy trinity" of modeling. Highly requested up to now, Campbell is featured in Marc Jacob's new Louis Vuitton campaign. Ironically she became the new face of YSL just this past year, shooting the unreleased advertisements in Paris with Ines Van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin.

But before Naomi there were others. Saint Laurent's first muse was the beautiful Mounia of French and Caribbean descent. Mounia is now a successful painter and singer in France. She spends her time saving orphans as a humanitarian for disadvantaged children in Africa and the Caribbeans. Mounia was irreplaceable and continued to work for Saint Laurent for years opening up a door that was followed by the striking Katoucha Nien of Guinea, Africa who also had an enormous runway career. An outspoken activist against female genital mutilation and the abuse of women, Katoucha's body was found floating in the River Seine on February 28th 2008. Saint Laurent, already too ill to attend the memorial of his muse sent Pierre Berge to represent him. Berge attended along with Campbell.

As Saint Laurent ignited the careers of other memorable runway stars who went on to rule the world of haute couture, his actions transcended beyond models. Through the years writers, photographers, stylists and make-up artists of colour began to be less discriminated against in the industry.

"I'm so sad because he has done so much for us," cried Campbell on the radio broadcast. "He was such an elegant quiet observant man. My memory of him is going to remain the one I remember when we all walked down the runway at that last show. He was extremely happy. He chose one hundred of us (and) we didn't have rehearsal."

Ma Plus Belle Histoire D'Amour
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2urTFqgL1z8

The last scene of Saint Laurent's final show will forever be a moment in French fashion history that can never be replicated. Described by critics as an insanely particular man and perfectionist, Yves Saint Laurent was very selective in everything he did from designs to fabrics to models, as well as stylists and photographers. Everything had to be inimitable and sans parell. The historic show in Paris was a display of the creme de la creme of garments and the best of the best without illusion or question. It was an accurate representation of the couturier's outstanding career.

One hundred of Saint Laurent's models walked down the runway displaying four decades of genius work. The final show was a full circle that defined years of opulent but wearable artistry. It was cinematic, theatrical, exquisitely diverse, and borderline fantasy. His mannequins and brides wore dramatic aesthetic garments and exquisite gowns from his decadent Ballet Russes collection. They sashayed in his memorable "street meets chic" pantsuits and beaded African garments. They walked in embroideries inspired by his favorite painters-Picasso and Van Gogh. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oyx5ppshjew

Perhaps drawing from his days in Algeria, Saint Laurent decorated his muses in the Cabans and Saharieenes that he had invented . The models showed off his flirty little black dresses and classic thigh high boots with stylish but comfortable trousers. The audience applauded at the sight of his famous colonial inspired camel-colored safari pant suit that was adopted by the mainstream through his pret-a porter and Rive Gauche collection. He maticulately cultivated everything he was inspired by into his work. Yves Saint laurent was able to intermix art and fashion...pulling elements from his favorite operas, paintings and ballets. It was because of Saint Laurent's Rive Gauche that fashion seen on the runway became mainstream. Saint Laurent was the first to license his designs to outsider retailers. Yves was the couturier who honestly loved and catered to women. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZX8bILLRSs

In his farewell press conference upon announcing his retirement Saint Laurent said: "..fashion is not really their to embellish women. I believe it is also a means to reassure them to give them confidence. To enable them to assert themselves. Similarly I reject the fantasies of those who satisfy their own ego through fashion." As Yves Saint Laurent walked the runway he was serenaded by his other muses, Laetitia Casta and Catherine Deneuve who sang, "Ma plus belle histoire d'amour c'est vous. In english the lyrics read, "my most beautiful love story..it is you. I cried my tears but it was sweet for me." The backdrop of the musical composition accompanying Saint Laurent's goodbye was the song: Ne Se Dormer, an opera that vigorously demands that "none must sleep!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvg6ioC9_CI

After years of serving women and decades of fighting racism with art, Yves Saint Laurent had given so much to the world -all while battling an endless depression and what he said were "those phony friends called narcotics." Always intensely nervous, shy and reclusive in his last years, Yves Saint Laurent- the rightful King of fashion finally experienced a peaceful sleep on June 1st 2008 in Paris, France. His ashes were taken back to Africa and laid to rest at his Jardin Majorelle estate in Makaerret Morroco. Yves Saint Laurent changed Women's History
forever by introducing the world to women who have deeply influenced our lives in astronomical ways. To simply say merci would not be enough. For Mounia, the only word she says can articulate her feelings for the everlasting King of Fashion is "amour." "Love," she says.
To be beautiful all a woman needs is a black skirt, a pullover and to be in the arms of the man she loves"-YSL

Thank you: to Mounia and my sister Monde for their help and contribution: www.myspace.com/omounia