A Tribute: Yves Saint Laurent Dies at 71

PARIS - Legendary designer Yves Saint Laurent, dieddesigner of his time. From the first YSL tuxedo and his
Sunday evening after a yearlong battle with braintrim pantsuits to see-through blouses, safari jackets
cancer. He was 71.and glamorous gowns, Saint Laurent created instant
A towering figure of 20th century fashion, Saintclassics that remain stylish decades later.
Laurent was widely considered the last of aWhen the designer announced his retirement in 2002
generation that included Christian Dior and Cocoat age 65 and the closure of the Paris-based haute
Chanel and made Paris the fashion capital of thecouture house he had founded 40 years earlier, it was
world, with the Rive Gauche, or Left Bank, as itsmourned in the fashion world as the end of an era. His
elegant headquarters.ready-to-wear label, Rive Gauche, which was sold to
In the fast-changing world of haute couture, SaintGucci in 1999, still has boutiques around the world.
Laurent was hailed as the most influential and enduring