Yves Saint-Laurent 1936-2008

Look, I have never claimed to be a fashionista. I don't own any brand name designer clothes, unless you count Eddie Bauer as stylish. I admit I have watched a few episodes of American Top Model and the Kimora Lee Simmons show, but that hasn't made me anymore fashion-inclined. I actually just brought my first ever evening gown, which I will be wearing to a gala event at Unity this summer. In my regular life I prefer a backpack over a purse to carry of my stuff around, wear makeup sparingly and only own one pair of high heels...

Okay, now that we have gotten over me being seriously fashion-challenged, lets move on.

I didn't really know that much about Yves Saint-Laurent before I heard about his death. But after reading about him, he sounded like a really right on dude.

YSL was one of the most progressive fashion designers, as he was one of the first designers to have black models in his runway shows, and the late Guinean supermodel and human rights activist Katoucha Niane was one of his muses. Also, despite the fact that the fashion world is pretty much dominated by gay men these days, he was also one of the first to be open about his homosexuality even when it was seen as career death.

YSL most importantly pioneered Le Smoking tuxedo suit, which was a precursor to pantsuits for women at a time when feminism was coming to a forefront around the world. While the pantsuits were all the rage among many, there were women who were actually turned away from restaurants and hotels for wearing the revolutionary suit. Today, I don't know one woman who doesn't own at least one pantsuit.

It must be a sad day for Hillary Clinton!