RIP Yves Sait Laurent

Yves Henri Donat Mathieu Saint Laurent, aka Yves Saint Laurent was a French fashion designer who I personally consider to be one of the greatest visionaries in high fashion. I use past tense because he just recently passed away on June 1, 2008 from brain cancer. Yves Saint Laurent was born in Oran, Algeria, where he acquired a fashion sense from his mother and friends. He first studied at the Chambre Syndicale, and then he went to work for French designer Christian Dior at the age of 17.

When Saint Laurent was only 21 years old however, Christian Dior passed away and left Saint Laurent in charge of saving the House of Dior from going bankrupt. It wasn't until 1962 when he was finally released from Christian Dior, and he and his lover (Pierre Bergé) began their very own fashion house. During the 60s and 70s, the couple brought many fashion trends into the mainstream, including safari jackets, the beatnik look, thigh-high boots, tight pants, and women's tuxedos. Saint Laurent was the first to popularize the idea of wearing silhouettes from the 20s, 30s, and 40s (which we still do today). He also introduced ready-to-wear clothing lines, with Rive Gauche. But above all, Yves Saint Laurent was the very first to employ black models in his runway shows.

In 1999, Gucci bought the Saint-Laurent brand, and designer Tom Ford was asked to design the ready-to-wear collection, while Yves Saint Laurent designed the haute couture line himself. After Ford left in 2004, Stefano Pilati was left to design the prêt-à-porter (ready-to-wear) line.

As I've already mentioned, YSL is one of my absolute favorite designers, and I get inspired everytime I look at one of his pieces. Let's start with the YSL Tribute shoe and handbag. Here are Halle Berry and Drew Barrymore, sporting black patent leather Tribute bags. I'm not gonna lie, I paid more attention to the bag than who was carrying it. That's how spectacular it is.

$1,395.00

...And then there's the YSL Tribute shoe. I almost shed a tear when I first saw these because they're that gorgeous. Jessica Alba, Paula Abdul, UK singer Jamelia, and Victoria Beckham seem to agree with me.

$660.00

Here is an image from the Yves Saint Laurent Fall 2008 New York City runway show by designer Stefano Pilati.

And this is an image from the YSL Spring/Summer 2004 Rive Gauche collection. This would be Tom Ford's final spring/summer show for Yves Saint Laurent.

Although the House of Yves Saint Laurent is no more, the label still lives on thanks to celebrities and red carpet events where the designer's brilliant work will eternally be showcased. Check out two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank in a stunning white YSL dress at the P.S. I Love You premiere. And who could forget Nicole Kidman in the flapper-style YSL dress at the 2004 Golden Globes?

Karl Lagerfeld is a Man Who Wears Many Many Hats.

Karl Lagerfeld is considered to be one of the leading forces in fashion design. He was born in Hamburg, Germany, but relocated to Paris at age 22 in order to pursue fashion design. He began as an apprentice for Pierre Balmain, and one of his contemporaries was one of my other fashion icons, Yves Saint Laurent. After spending three years at Balmain, Lagerfeld began working for Jean Patou, where he began designing haute couture pieces.

In 1964, he began freelance designing for Chloe in Paris, and then Curiel in Rome. It wasn't until 1972 when he started working with Fendi, designing clothing and accessories. He was also appointed Artistic Director/designer for the House of Chanel. As a result of his impressive fashion pedigree, Lagerfeld remains a prominent figure in today's fashion. His runway shows during Fashion Week attract so many celebrities, I couldn't name them all. In addition, Lagerfeld receives lots of celebrity support when it comes to the ad campaigns of his many brands.

Here is Lindsay Lohan with Karl Lagerfeld at a Chanel fashion show, and Nicole Kidman as the covergirl for Chanel No.5 perfume.

Here is Nicole Richie carrying a Chloe Heloise shoulder bag on one hand, and Joel Madden on the other one on the way to her court date.

$700.00

...And here she is again along with Hilary and Haylie Duff sporting the Fendi Spy Bag.

$2,250.00

Although Lagerfeld is famous for designing for three big labels (Chanel, Chloe, and Fendi), he does a very good job in maintaining the uniqueness of each of the three. I've noticed that Chloe caters to a somewhat younger fashionista (with deep pockets), Chanel is for the very elegant and sophisticated, while Fendi is aimed at the über trendy.

• Chloe

• Chanel Haute Couture

• Fendi