At the tender age of 21, a shy couturier called Yves Saint Laurent ascended the helm of the House of Christian Dior, and thus began a revolution. Perhaps the most prolific fashion designer to date, YSL would in his lifetime be credited with trends innumerable – among them the safari look, thigh-high boots, and Le Smoking trouser suit for women – and produce (to great controversy) the world’s very first prêt-a-porter collection, in essence birthing the fashion world as we know it. To own any piece from a collection that Yves himself produced is to be a custodian of fashion history.
Photo: Courtesy of  Saint Laurent