Considered one of the most formidable fashion designers of the 20th century, Yves Saint Laurent was a master of artistry, design and beauty. Take our quiz to test your knowledge on his remarkable life and career.
Answer Key:
Question #1
Answer B: Yves Saint Laurent (YSL) was born on Aug. 1, 1936 in Oran, Algeria. He began his career in fashion at the age of 17, winning first prize in a contest sponsored by the International Wool Secretariat for a cocktail dress design.
Question #2
Answer D: YSL served in the French Army during the Algerian War (1954-1962). After 20 days, the stress of the situation led him to ne institutionalized in a French Mental hospital where he underwent psychiatric treatment, including electroshock therapy for a nervous breakdown.
Question #3
Answer B: Following Christian Dior's death in 1957, YSL was a mere 21-years-old when he was put in charge of the fledging design house.
Question #4
Answer A: YSL was released from his duties at Christian Dior due to rumours he suffered from a nervous breakdown.
Question #5
Answer D: YSL started his own line in 1962 financed by his companion, Pierre Bergé. He started a revolution in the way women dressed by creating the first-ever Le Smoking (the female version of the tuxedo) which was perfect timing just as women were starting to enter the workplace.
Question #6
Answer A: YSL was the first to hire African-American women to work his runways. The model known as Mounia, Saint Laurent's protégé and one of the first black supermodels, said on French radio just recently: "He made me proud of my color." Likewise, Naomi Campbell credits her first-ever French Vogue cover to YSL. The media lists the supermodel as saying: "When I said to him 'Yves, they won't give me a French Vogue cover, they won't put a black girl on the cover' and he was like, 'I'll take care of that', and he did."
Question #7
Answer D: When France won its 1998 World Cup soccer final, it was Saint Laurent who staged a runway show centre-field before 80,000 spectators in the Stade de France.
Question #8
Answer E: All of the above. YSL was best-known for creating the most influential trends that still resonate today. He was inspired by the Parisian streets of the '60s filled with beatnik hippies, along with putting women in safari prints and traditional menswear like pants and his oft-ripped off Le Smoking jacket which was tailored to fit the feminine form.
Question #9
Answer B: Saint Laurent was always a man of controversy. Reportedly in 1968, YSL suggested that women should wear pants as their go-to uniform. He was often quoted as saying that all a woman needed to be stylish was a pair of pants and a coat. "My job as a designer," he once said, "is to make clothes that reflect our times. I'm convinced women want to wear pants."
Question #10
Answer C: YSL, a consumate artist, loved to sketch in his spare time.
