Yves Saint Laurent
By Nicole Bowen
Fashion is without a doubt an international affair. With
a bevy of designers hailing from right here in the U.S.
(Jason Wu, Proenza Schouler and Marc Jacobs, just
to name a few) it may be difficult to fathom all the
International designers influencing the runways. The
reality is that fashion was a European game long before
we Americans joined! Names like Coco Chanel, Louis
Vuitton and Goyard have been around for 100 years or
more and the influence of these brands is undeniable.
These designers have been joined by the likes of Italians,
Dolce & Gabbana and Armani, and the French Houses of
Dior and YSL, just to name a few.
Domenico Dolce & Stefano Gabbana are the dynamic
duo of Italian fashion. Their designs, featuring flashy and
sometimes over the top aspects, are kept on the feminine
side with the pairs exquisite tailoring and attention to
detail. In 1993 they were commission to make over 1,500
costumes for Madonna’s “Girlie Show” Tour. Beyond
the Fashion House of Dolce & Gabbana the pair of
have also created Dolce&Gabbana (notice the lack of a
space between letters?) that showcases more timeless
and formal designs in addition to sunglasses and watches.
In 2010 Scarlett Johansson was named the face of the
Dolce&Gabbana line and has appeared in numerous print
ads for the brand.
The French have long been the darlings of the fashion
world and that love continues. John Galliano may hail
from England but he is the chief designer for Christian
Dior, France’s couture flagship. The House of Dior is
known for it’s romantic designs, exotic color palate, and
feminine bias cuts. In addition to the fame found on the
Red Carpet, Dior has also made a name designing luxury
handbags. Jennifer Lawrence was recently named the
face of Dior and has been wowing fans on Red Carpets all
over the world in one of a kind Dior designs.
Yves Saint Laurent, the French designer formerly of Dior
fame made a name for himself by bringing couture back
to life. After being fired from Dior, YSL set out to create
a line of his own in the early 1960s. YSL is recognized for