On His Birthday, a Look Back at the Life of Yves Saint Laurent

Few things gave Yves Saint Laurent greater pleasure than to see a woman looking stunning in one of his designs. "The most beautiful clothes that can dress a woman are the arms of the man she loves," he once said. "But for those who haven't had the fortune of finding this happiness, I am there."

If Saint Laurent were alive today, he would have celebrated his 78th birthday, following a time of great transition at the house he founded in 1962, where today, Hedi Slimane continues to honor his memory. Even changing the name of the house to Saint Laurent Paris has been billed as a way to "return to the fundamentals of YSL."

Yves Saint Laurent wanted to help women look and feel their best, and one of his most memorable mottos was, "The main thing is to last!" He's certainly remained relevant, as two biopics, Yves Saint Laurent and Saint Laurent, were released just this year about the designer. So, in honor of his Aug. 1 birthday, we look back at Yves Saint Laurent's lifelong mission, here in the gallery.

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Yves Saint Laurent dressing dancer Tessa Beaumont for Dior in September 1959.

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Yves Saint Laurent finishes Farah Diba's wedding dress in December 1959.

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Yves Saint Laurent creating chalk illustrations for Dior in 1960.

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Yves Saint Laurent with his mother Lucienne Saint Laurent in April 1960.

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Yves Saint Laurent selects fabrics in his Paris studio in January 1963.

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Yves Saint Laurent and Barbra Streisand in November 1965.

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Yves Saint Laurent made an appearance on a 1965 episode of the game show What's My Line?

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Standing outside the first Saint Laurent Rive Gauche boutique in 1966.

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Catherine Deneuve and Yves Saint Laurent in September 1966.

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A snapshot of Yves Saint Laurent from a CBS fashion special in 1968.

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Yves Saint Laurent talking with his client Mrs. Stanley Donen at his Paris boutique.

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Yves Saint Laurent enjoying a night out with socialite Nan Kempner.

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Yves Saint Laurent walking through a marketplace in Marrakech in March 1972.

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Yves Saint Laurent in Morocco in March 1972.

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Yves Saint Laurent, Loulou de la Falaise, and Bianca Jagger at Loulou de la Falaise's wedding reception in July 1977.

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Yves Saint Laurent, Pierre Bergé, and Andy Warhol at a party in Paris, in January 1977.

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Yves Saint Laurent with André Leon Talley at a party in 1978.

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Yves Saint Laurent and Isabelle Adjani at a party in Paris in January 1980.

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Yves Saint Laurent in his office in Paris in 1982.

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Yves Saint Laurent in his workshop in Paris in January 1982.

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Yves Saint Laurent after a presentation of his Fall collection in Paris in July 1984.

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Yves Saint Laurent in China in May 1985.

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Yves Saint Laurent with Diana Vreeland in January 1985.

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Yves Saint Laurent on the catwalk with a model during his Spring 1985 Haute Couture show in Paris in January 1985.

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Yves Saint Laurent kissed a model at his Spring 1987 Haute Couture show in Paris in January 1987.

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Yves Saint Laurent in 1988.

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Yves Saint Laurent with Catherine Deneuve and Zizi Jeanmaire at the YSL fashion show in Paris in January 1988.

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Yves Saint Laurent with Audrey Hepburn, her husband, and Loulou de la Falaise at a Givenchy party in Paris in January 1990.

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Yves Saint Laurent attends a YSL High Fashion Show tribute for 28 years of creating fashion in Paris in January 1990.

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Yves Saint Laurent with models in January 1990.

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Yves Saint Laurent on the catwalk at the YSL High Fashion Show Spring 1991 show in January 1990.

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Yves Saint Laurent walks on the catwalk of his Spring 1991 show during Paris Fashion Week in January 1990.

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Yves Saint Laurent at the YSL High Fashion Show tribute for 28 years of creating fashion in Paris in 1990.

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Yves Saint Laurent at the YSL High Fashion Show tribute in January 1990.

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Yves Saint Laurent on the catwalk at the YSL High Fashion Show in Paris in January 1991.

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Yves Saint Laurent and Lucie de la Falaise during his Spring 1992 show during Paris Fashion Week in January 1991.

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Yves Saint Laurent and models backstage at the YSL Spring 1993 show during Fashion Week in Paris in January 1992.

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Yves Saint Laurent gets a kiss from one of his models at the end of his Spring 1992 couture show in January 1992.

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Yves Saint Laurent at the YSL Fall 1993 ready-to-wear fashion show in Paris in January 1993.

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Yves Saint-Laurent at the end of his Fall 1993 ready-to-wear collection in March 1993.

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Yves Saint Laurent at his Fall 1994 ready-to-wear fashion show in March 1994.

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Yves Saint Laurent and Ines de la Fressange in Paris in January 1995.

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Yves Saint Laurent on the catwalk with a model at his show during Paris Fashion Week in January 1995.

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Yves Saint Laurent at the YSL Spring 1996 fashion show in January 1995.

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Yves Saint Laurent and models backstage at the YSL Spring 1996 fashion show in Paris in January 1995.

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Yves Saint Laurent and models backstage at the YSL Spring 1996 show in January 1995.

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Yves Saint Laurent during his Spring 1996 ready-to-wear show during Paris Fashion Week in January 1995.

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Yves Saint Laurent with Claudia Schiffer at the YSL Spring 1997 fashion show in 1996.

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Yves Saint Laurent at the YSL High Fashion Show Fall 1996 during Fashion Week in Paris in 1996.

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Yves Saint Laurent at the YSL High Fashion Show in Paris in January 1996.

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Yves Saint Laurent with Claudia Schiffer and Carla Bruni during his Fall 1996 Haute Couture collection in Paris in July 1996.

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Yves Saint Laurent with models dressed in his latest ready-to-wear creations for Spring 1998.

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Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé at the YSL High Fashion Show Spring 1998 during Fashion Week in Paris in 1998.

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Yves Saint Laurent beside Laetitia Casta during his 1999 Spring Haute Couture show in January 1999.

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Yves Saint Laurent ends his Fall 1999 show during Paris Fashion Week in July 1999.

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Yves Saint Laurent with Laetitia Casta during the presentation of his Fall 1999 Haute Couture collection in Paris in July 1999.

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Yves Saint Laurent with Lucie de la Falaise in January 2000.

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Yves Saint Laurent at his Fall 2000 Haute Couture collection in Paris in July 2000.

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Yves Saint-Laurent with Laetitia Casta at the end of his Spring 2000 Couture collection in January 2000.

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Yves Saint Laurent and Sao Schlumberger in January 2000.

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Yves Saint Laurent with Carla Bruni and Karen Mulder in Paris in January 2000.

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Yves Saint Laurent with Brandi Quinones and models at the Miro Exhibition at the Pompidou Center Museum in Paris in January 2000.

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Yves Saint Laurent and a bride at the Miro Exhibition Pompidou Center Museum in Paris in January 2000.

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Yves Saint Laurent in January 2000.

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Yves Saint Laurent with Naomi Campbell at the Miro Exhibition at the Pompidou Center Museum in Paris in January 2000.

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Yves Saint Laurent at his Fall 2001 Haute Couture collections in July 2001.

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Yves Saint-Laurent with Pierre Berge during a press conference in Paris, January 2002.

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Yves Saint Laurent at the Centre Georges Pompidou art gallery in Paris in January 2002.

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Yves Saint Laurent with models Laetitia Casta, Mounia, and Katoucha during his last Haute Couture show in January 2002.

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Pierre Bergé and Yves Saint Laurent at the opening of the Yves Saint Laurent Foundation in Paris in March 2004.

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Yves Saint Laurent with Loulou de la Falaise and Betty Catroux at the Loulou de la Falaise cocktail party during Paris Fashion Week in July 2004.

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Yves Saint Laurent with Catherine Deneuve at the opening of the Yves Saint Laurent Foundation in Paris in March 2004.

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Yves Saint Laurent and his mother, Lucienne Saint Laurent, at the opening of the Yves Saint Laurent Foundation in March 2004.

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Yves Saint Laurent in Paris in July 2006.