The Loss of a Legend

Hi all! Today I have taken on quite the lofty writing assignment. The loss of one YSL this past weekend has forced all fashion aficionados (and far more than that) to wave their hypothetical flags at half mast and forced me to reflect on the influence that such a brilliant mind has had on a small peon like myself. My introduction to Mr. Laurent was really through his muse, Loulou de la Falaise. I adore the designer/muse relationship and long for the days of yore when it was totally clear whom the designer's right hand woman was as he conceived each collection (maybe I'm just blind but I don't see it lately!).

Loulou de la Falaise is a truly magnificent personification of the brilliant mind of YSL. She is, in my estimation, a woman who is completely at ease with her femininity. Still rather enigmatic as far as the celebrity style icons go, just glance through pictures of this woman, and I assure you, you will be inspired as well! It's much more than just le smoking and trapeze dresses that YSL gifted us, it was a whole new way in which women could relate to their clothing (and the clothing in their boyfriend’s/ father’s/ husband’s closets as well). I have a serious soft spot for menswear, and before I had any idea that YSL and Loulou had a relationship (I think my first experience was through a random photo pf her on style.com), I was admiring the way she wore a jacket.

So what do we learn from this woman? Well for one thing, I like the way she wears her clothes in her later years especially. She is for me exactly what I will strive to be like when I get older- confident, effortless and fashionably inhabiting her age. There are no rules that she applies to the way she dresses and she clearly has never had any kind of relationship with a plastic surgeon. YSL defines the "only getting better with age" adage (all those pieces are meant to be worn 20 years from now) and Loulou mirrors this sentiment. Could you possibly imagine more seething femininity than Ms. De La Falaise? Her makeup is always flawless (ahem, looks like she is wearing no makeup at all…), she opts for hair that is never too "done" and I can imagine she chooses a really classic and sophisticated scent that is just as individual and mesmerizing as she is (for the sake of it let’s venture a guess and go with YSL “Opium”).

For me Loulou is living proof of the legacy of YSL- so much more than gorgeous clothing. At the risk of total cliché-dom: It’s the way you wear something that ignites the imagination and calls attention to the marvelous pieces you own. He gave women the gumption to wear it proudly and wear it well.

~ Olivia Villanti