Yves Saint Laurent

At age 21, Yves St. Laurent took over as head of the prestigious House of Dior; at age 25, he opened his own firm; and after a lifetime of achievement, he has now announced his upcoming retirement. To mark this event, these books are being published in conjunction with 5, avenue Marceau, a documentary on his incredible 40-year career. LIFE photographer Boulat offers a photomontage of the young St. Laurent in his first year as an independent designer, while Teboul (the director of the documentary) jumps ahead to focus on the step-by-step operations of putting together the show for his Spring 2002 line. To his credit, Teboul does provide some background information on the designer, including childhood photos, a biographical chronology, reproductions of early newspaper clippings (from the scrapbooks of St. Laurent’s mother), a complete checklist of his major shows, and four pages of notable St. Laurent quotes. Nonetheless, except for the childhood photos, neither the people nor the activities in any of the pictures are identified. (Perhaps they will be in the documentary.) The publisher describes Teboul’s as the “definitive volume,” but in fact neither book sheds much light on St. Laurent’s life or career. The hundreds of photos are fun to look through (especially when they convey the energy and oftentimes frantic pace of putting together a show), but both books disappoint for lack of comprehensive documentation of this important designer’s work.
Le grand couturier Yves Saint Laurent has been challenging the fashion establishment for nearly half a century. One of the first to revolutionize street style with his 1960s “Beat Look” collection, and credited with the creation of the pantsuit—his le smoking, a tuxedo tailored for women, provoked the androgynous movement in fashion—Saint Laurent continues to produce sexy, vibrant lines. Now, the French television network Canal+ has documented the making of his Spring 2002 collection for its upcoming film, 5, avenue Marceau—the address of his famed couture house. This deluxe, definitive volume follows YSL through every stage of his preparations for his 2002 spring collections. Also included are never-before-published quotes from YSL as well as photographs from his early years and pages from his mother’s scrapbook. The clippings are lovingly annotated in her own handwriting and illustrate a personal dedication to one of fashion’s greatest talents.