R.I.P

This is just a quickie, but I wanted to pay my respects to a legendary designer, Yves Sait Laurent, who passed away at 71 Sunday in his Paris home. He was amidst a year-long battle with brain cancer, says Pierre Berge, his business partner of 40 years.

Saint Laurent was widely considered the last of a generation that included Christian Dior and Coco Chanel and made Paris the fashion capital of the world.

"Chanel gave women freedom" and Saint Laurent "gave them power," Berge said on France-Info radio. Saint Laurent was a "true creator," going beyond the aesthetic to make a social statement.

In the 1960's some of his revolutionary style was met with resistance. There are famous stories of women wearing Saint Laurent pantsuits who were turned away from hotels and restaurants in London and New York.

When Saint Laurent announced his retirement in 2002 at age 65 and the closure of the Paris-based haute couture house, it was mourned in the fashion world as the end of an era. Today, it truly is.

Here is Naomi Campbell, paying homage in vintage Yves Saint Laurent last night at the Council of Fashion Designers of America Awards (honestly, why is Andre Leon Talley a fashion icon? wtf is he wearing??):

"Fashion fades. Style is eternal."—Yves Saint Laurent. RIP.