YSL Designer Luxury Handbags - French fashion designer, considered among the greatest, handbags, purses

YSL Designer Handbags

One of the greatest fashion designers of the 20th Century Yves Henri Donat Mathieu-Saint-Laurent was born August 1936 in Algeria. Caroline Rennolds Milbank wrote the book “Couture - The Great Fashion Designers” in 1985. In the book that she wrote she talks about Yves Saint-Laurent is credited with bringing the company Dior from disaster in the 1960's to a High End Fashion Couture House.

YSL got his start when he left home at 17 and started work for the famous French Design House Christian Dior. After the death of Christian Dior in 1957 YSL was still at the young age of 21 and he was put in charge to save the House of Dior form financial ruin.

He was then drafted after the success of the Dior Company to fight in the Algerian War for independence and after a short stay in the service he was forced to leave because of his fragile mental heath and was committed to a mental hospital and received treatment for a nervous breakdown.

YSL was let go from Dior because of his nervous breakdown and he then decided to start his own company under the name YSL – Yves Saint-Laurent which was financed by his companion Pierre Berge'. The two had split as a couple in 1976 but still remained as business partners.

In the 1960's and the 1970's the company headed by YSL became famous for, Men and Womens Safari Jacket, Beatnik Looks, Tight Pants and Tall Thigh High Boots. They also created the smoking suit which was a highly regarded tuxedo for women.

He popularized women wearing styles from the 1920's, 1930's and the 1940's. In 1966 with his famous boutique Rive Gauch he popularized ready to wear in an attempt to democratize fashion. He also revolutionized the use of black models in all of his run way shows.

He was instrumental in using high fashion models and high profile names to wear his clothing and this made the brand very popular among European Jet setters in the upper classes.

Gucci purchased the brand in 1999 and Tom Ford was brought in to design the ready to wear collection and YSL was the designer for the Haute Couture collection which was higher end.

YSL has created a modern elegance that is refined and the company today is thought of in the likes of top design houses such as Chanel. The company today sells it high end designer items through its many boutiques that are located in cities such as Paris, Milan and Tokyo to name a few.

Author Source: Roy Leadwell