Even the man’s initials speak of fame and fashion. YSL. At age 65, the Paris based fashion designer Yves St. Laurent is saying “ca suffit,” that’s enough. Later this month, 40 years since his first show as the enfant terrible of haute couture, he’ll show his last collection. Some in the catty world of fashion say his creativity retired years ago. But others say his legacy will last long after today’s designers are forgotten, because he understands what women want: to be sexy and powerful and wear the pants from time to time. It’s hard to remember when pants suits weren’t chic. Yves St. Laurent made them so. He also gave women the trench coat, the safari look and the see through blouse. Clothes that changed the way we see each other.
Guests:
Hamish Bowles, European editor-at-large for American Vogue Magazine
Valerie Steele, author of “The Corset: A Cultural History” and chief curator for the Museum of the Fashion Institute of Technology
and Nan Kempner, a collector of Yves St. Laurent’s designs.