Fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent announces retirement

PARIS - Yves Saint Laurent, the fashion designer who popularized pantsuits for women and introduced the daring see-through blouse, on Monday announced his retirement from the world of haute couture.<br> <br> Saint Laurent, 65, said during a news conference at his Paris salon that he is closing the fashion house he started 40 years ago. He did not give an exact reason, although he said he had been battling ill health and depression for years.<br> <br> Saint Laurent read a prepared statement and left immediately afterward without answering any questions.<br> <br> But his business partner and co-founder of his house, Pierre Berger, said he believed Saint Laurent had decided to retire because he was no longer comfortable with the direction that the fashion world had taken.<br> <br> &#34;It&#39;s not very fun to play a tennis match when you are all alone,&#34; Berger said.<br> <br> Saint Laurent said that throughout his career, his goal was &#34;not just to make women more beautiful but to reassure them and given them confidence.&#34;<br> <br> Saint Laurent was only 21 in 1957 when he was named head designer at House of Dior following the death of Christian Dior. Saint Laurent opened his own haute couture fashion house in 1962.<br> <br> Saint Laurent&#39;s early collections were known for their maverick quality: The first YSL tuxedo for women surfaced in the 1966 fall-winter collection and became a fashion landmark.<br> <br> Saint Laurent possessed a keen sense of what women wanted, introducing stylish, tailored pantsuits in the 1970s that remain a wardrobe staple of working women. He tended to concentrate his efforts on the young, and they responded: His &#34;chic beatnik&#34; look - a black leather jacket, knit turtleneck, high boots - is still seen on the street today.<br> <br> In 1999, Italian fashion house Gucci Group NV bought the prestigious Yves Saint Laurent label. His ready-to-wear line has been out of Saint Laurent&#39;s hands since then.<br> <br> Monday&#39;s announcement appears to signal the end of the haute couture line, which Saint Laurent has focused on for the last two years. Haute couture is usually less profitable than ready-to-wear, and Saint Laurent&#39;s has been no exception. <br> <br>

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