00yves-saint-laurent-betty-catrouxA vintage pic of Yves Saint Laurent and Betty Catroux. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.

Waiting in the lineup for the Saint Laurent show I recognized a familiar shock of white grey hair. I looked up and down the woman’s lanky frame and thought to myself: “This must be Betty Catroux.” She is without doubt one of the fashion world’s most iconic
rocker girls. Yves Saint Laurent called her his female incarnation and muse. Even today, Marc Jacobs in his show notes for Louis Vuitton, listed her as one of the women who inspired him most. In Hedi Slimane’s Spring 2014 outing for the house, he presented his own updated take on the famous Le Smoking
jacket that Ms. Catroux inspired—and immortalized—during her time with YSL. When Ms. Catroux was in Toronto a few years ago to celebrate the launch of the documentary,
L’amour fou, I had the chance to speak with her. Here’s an excerpt from our chat.
Our Q&A with Betty Catroux continues right after the break…
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