The Yves Saint Laurent Quiz

By: Staff
Image: refer to hsw

About This Quiz

Yves Saint Laurent revolutionized fashion in a design career spanning nearly half a century. Take our quiz to test your knowledge of Yves Saint Laurent — the brand and the man who made it.

Where was Yves Saint Laurent born?

Saint Laurent was born Aug. 1, 1936, in Oran, Algeria. His father was a lawyer who also owned a chain of movie theaters.

How did Saint Laurent first express his love for fashion?

Saint Laurent came up with his earliest designs using elaborate paper dolls. By his teenage years, he was crafting dresses for his mother and sisters.

How old was Saint Laurent when he moved to Paris to pursue fashion?

The future legendary designer was just 18 years old when he moved to Paris to work for the editor of French Vogue, who introduced him to Christian Dior.

True or false: Yves Saint Laurent became the head designer at Dior in 1957.

Just a few short years after moving to Paris, Saint Laurent found himself head designer for the House of Dior in 1957.

Why did Saint Laurent head back to Algeria in 1960?

Saint Laurent headed home to Algeria in 1960 to join the military. By the time he made it back to Paris, his job at Dior was gone.

How did Saint Laurent get the money to start his own clothing company?

Saint Laurent sued Dior after losing his job with the company and won enough in court to set up his own clothing line.

What year did Saint Laurent open his own design house?

Yves Saint Laurent started his fashion line with partner and lover Pierre Berge in 1962.

What was "Le Smoking"?

The Yves Saint Laurent company is widely recognized for its tuxedo jacket for women, often referred to as "Le Smoking," which came out in 1966.

What did Saint Laurent decorate with prints by Dutch painter Mondrian in the 1960s?

Saint Laurent was famous for his Mondrian shift dresses, which featured bold blocks of color surrounded by black trim.

Yves Saint Laurent helped make this utilitarian item trendy.

Saint Laurent transformed peacoats found in Army-Navy supply shops into fashionable pieces for women.

True or false: Saint Laurent believed that a woman should wear pants.

In a time when women typically wore skirts or dresses, Saint Laurent was a revolutionary for pushing the power of pants on women.

What did the company name its low-cost line?

The YSL Rive Gauche line was meant to offer affordable and accessible clothing for young people, who may not be able to splurge on the company's high-end designer pieces.

True or false: Yves Saint Laurent was one of the first designers to embrace models of color.

Naomi Campbell credits Saint Laurent with helping her become the first black model to grace the cover of French Vogue.

Which of these fragrances came out in 1977?

The company's Opium fragrance was released in 1977.

What year did the Metropolitan Museum of Art give Yves Saint Laurent a solo exhibit?

In 1983, Saint Laurent became the first living designer to have a solo exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

True or false: Pierre Berge continued to run the company after he and Saint Laurent broke up.

Proving he was mature enough to work with his ex, Saint Laurent kept former lover Berge on to run the business after their 1986 breakup.

True or false: Saint Laurent was just 21 years old when he took the head designer role at Dior.

Saint Laurent was just 21 years old with a few short years of design under his belt when he took the reins at the House of Dior.

True or false: Saint Laurent rarely used prints in his design, preparing solid colors.

Not only did he incorporate many patterns, but he was also well-known for his safari-chic designs, which included plenty of animal print.

What year did Saint Laurent help create the beatnik style?

With super short skirts, turtlenecks and black leather jackets, the beatnik style was born in 1959.

Which of these did Saint Laurent focus on in the late '60s?

During the late '60s, many Saint Laurent designs featured translucent fabric, including the sheer blouse.

True or false: Saint Laurent embraced the hippie style of the '70s.

The company offered an ethnic-inspired line of haute peasant clothes — trendy patterns on fine, well-made fabrics.

What is now located at 5 Avenue Marceau, former home of the YSL couture line?

The former Paris home of Yves Saint Laurent haute couture has been a museum since the famous designer retired in 2002.

True or false: Saint Laurent was a well-known art collector.

In 2009, Saint Laurent's art collection sold for a record $260 million.

What year did Saint Laurent release his last collection for Rive Gauche?

The designer released his final Rive Gauche line in 1998 but continued to design his haute couture line.

How much did the YSL ready-to-wear line sell for in 1999?

Gucci picked up the Yves Saint Laurent ready-to-wear line for a cool billion in 1999.

Who took over the role of design for YSL in 1999?

Tom Ford took over the role of top Yves Saint Laurent designer in 1999 and stayed in that role until 2005.

True or false: Yves Saint Laurent was awarded the French Legion of Honor in 2007.

For his contribution to design, Saint Laurent was made a grand officer in the French Legion of Honor in 2007.

When did Saint Laurent quit design for good?

Saint Laurent did his final haute couture show in January 2002, effectively beginning his retirement.

What year did Saint Laurent die?

Saint Laurent died in Paris of a brain tumor in 2008 at age 71.

What was the company name changed to in 2012?

The famous fashion line became Saint Laurent Paris in 2012 when Hedi Slimane took the top spot.

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