Fashion phenome who replaced the venerated Christian Dior when he passed in 1957. The youngest designer to run a couture fashion house and take it from the old school to the cutting edge of pret-a-porter. Saint Laurent’s influence was immediate and far-reaching and he drew inspiration from his many travels. Among his successes – the Mondrian collection in 1965, Le Smoking tuxedo suits of 1967 and beyond, the Safari suits of 1968 based on his upbringing in Algeria and the Russian collection of 1976 inspired by the film Dr. Zhivago. His career was best described by Diana Vreeland, editor-in-chief of Vogue US in the 1960s and 70s, "Coco Chanel and Christian Dior were giants, Saint Laurent is a genius."