Yves Saint Laurent

“If men wanted to look good in a skirt, they would need the body of an African. And the colour. A skirt with white, skinny legs. Horrible!”

“Basic clothes are for all women, to last for decades and decades. They are the future and will never change. I am persuaded of that.”

“I told myself repeatedly, 'One day you will be famous.'”

“My classmates could see I was not similar. So they made me their scapegoat. They hit me or locked me in the toilets. During the break, I would take refuge in the chapel, or I would arrange to stay alone in the classroom.”

“I'm very sure of myself - what I do and what I like.”

“I hate fashion. I don't have any fun doing it. A show terrifies me.”

“I do not decide that skirts shall be short or long. The shape of the dress itself often dictates the length.”

“Good clothing is a passport to happiness.”

“I couldn't love a woman who inspired me to be totally disinterested. If I fell in love with a woman for an artistic reason, or from the point of view of my work, I think it would rob her of something.”

“I just tried to be an artist in my own metier.”

“I wish I had invented blue jeans. They have expression, modesty, sex appeal, simplicity - all I hope for in my clothes.”

“When I was young in the 1960s, all the world watched the youth. Everywhere was the sensation of wanting to break the chains but to do something beautiful. It is my privilege to have beauty always near me.”

“We must never confuse elegance with snobbery.”

“Seeing Cubism paintings at the Beaubourg makes me very happy and, also, old films.”

“When I look at the five thousand garments and then all this music hall work, I ask myself how I could have done it all. I was a phenomenon!”

“I am no longer concerned with sensation and innovation, but with the perfection of my style.”

“I want to thank all the women who have worn my clothes, the famous and the unknown, who have been so faithful to me and given me so much joy.”

“A visit to Marrakesh was a great shock to me. This city taught me color.”

“I have often said that I wish I had invented blue jeans: the most spectacular, the most practical, the most relaxed and nonchalant. They have expression, modesty, sex appeal, simplicity - all I hope for in my clothes.”

“The big difference between couture and ready-to-wear is not design. It is the fabrics, the handwork, and the fittings. The act of creation is the same.”