Iconic French designer Yves Saint Laurent passed away on Sunday 1st June, 2008, aged 71 years. Following a long illness, he died in his home in Paris and, although retired, this marks the end of an era of the great fashion house. The brand YsL will, of course, live on.

“The most consistently celebrated and influential designer of the past twenty-five years, Yves Saint Laurent can be credited with both spurring the cuture’s rise from its Sixties ashes and with finally rendering ready-to-wear reputable”. (Caroline Rennolds Milbank)

Will this be the end of haute couture as we know it? I suspect haute couture been ending slowly for some time now. I think it’s now used more as a showpiece to generate interest in the ready to wear collections of the designers, the collections that actually sell. Like glorified advertising, couture gets media attention in all its show-stopping edgy glory.

Regardless, the house of YsL will continue on. To take a nostalgic look at the histoy of YsL, his foundation has incredibly detailed archives (just remember to click the button to translate it into English, the default is French).