YSL muse Loulou de la Falaise dies at age 63

[Thefrenchy]

puretrend.com

She was a model, a muse, and a designer of both clothing and jewelry. In many ways, Loulou de la Falaise was a fashion-industry renaissance woman, and it saddens us deeply to report that she has passed away.

Women’s Wear Daily broke news of her death Saturday morning, reporting that she had succumbed to an unspecified “long illness” at the age of 63. But whatever caused her death, De la Falaise’s life will be remembered for being filled with vibrant color and an almost genetic love for fashion. Her mother Maxime had been a model for Elsa Schiaparelli and occasionally designed her own clothing. Loulou would end up doing the same.

One of her first jobs in fashion was being Yves Saint Laurent‘s muse — and a good muse, she was. It’s believed she inspired Saint Laurent’s famous le smoking, a tuxedo for women that led to everything from menswear details being used in women’s clothing to today’s pantsuits. At the time, it was a revolutionary innovation in fashion, and part of what cemented YSL as an important fashion house. De la Falaise stayed there for decades, designing jewelry until Saint Laurent died.

After his death, she opened her own jewelry business and started a boutique in Paris called the Maison du Loulou. Whether or not it will continue in her absence remains to be seen, but we hope it’ll stay open in tribute to her memory and her style.

- STYLEIT.COM

 

[Jasmine04]

Just read about this. So sad. My thoughts are with her loved ones.

 

[Rigida]

RIP, she's such an icon
Posted via Mobile Device

 

[Salvatore]

Very very sad. RIP

 

[LagerfeldBoy]

Such a loss.
R.I.P.

 

[MulletProof]

Oh .. I remember when I was younger, didn't know much about fashion and Yves Saint Laurent's final collection took place, there were all these features talking about Loulou (as well as Betty Catroux), I only discovered her till then, but just going through her pictures I became really fascinated by her style and how fearless and experimental it was, always evolving.. even in her 50s/60s, she was still one of the few women that truly embodied modern elegance for me, she definitely played a big part on how the world perceives French style. What a loss. Her devotion to fashion and style will certainly be missed.. I only hope she's now reunited with Yves.

[psychoza.tumblr.com/youthquakers.blogspot.com]

 

[minstinguett]

63 is so young to die. RIP

 

[iluvjeisa]

She was one of those people that, no matter that I never met, you knew must be a wonderful person. She always looked so young and inspired.

Rest in peace beautiful Loulou.

 

[taz]

Loulou de la Falaise Dies

Loulou de la Falaise, a Muse to Yves Saint Laurent, Dies

By CATHY HORYN

LouLou de la Falaise, right, with Yves Saint Laurent and Betty Catroux at the opening of Saint Laurent’s first London boutique in 1969.

Loulou de la Falaise, a muse to Yves Saint Laurent and a woman of enormous chic who inspired countless others, died Saturday in Paris. Her death was announced by the Yves Saint Laurent-Pierre Berge Foundation, which did not give a cause. She was 63.
Ms. de la Falaise was synonymous with the bohemian Left Bank world of Saint Laurent, and was a part of his 1970s-era entourage, whether it touched down for the weekend in Marrakesh or New York. She was lean and radiantly beautiful, with a wedge of curly blonde hair and a crackling laugh. She was also very close to Betty Catroux, the androgynous beauty whom Saint Laurent referred to as his “twin sister,” and the two women appeared in a now-famous photograph with the designer at the 1969 opening of his first London boutique, Ms. de la Falaise in a coat dress and a silk headscarf.
In style as well as family background, Ms. de la Falaise was a mixture of French chic and English nonchalance. She was born in England, the daughter of Maxime Birley and Alain de la Falaise, a French count. After a brief marriage to Desmond Fitzgerald, Ms. de la Falaise married Thadee Klossowski in 1977. They had a daughter, Anna.
Ms. de la Falaise began working for Saint Laurent around 1972, designing accessories, but her influence went beyond the chunky bracelets and necklaces that helped establish the YSL look. She remained with the house until around 2000, after the sale of the brand’s ready-to-wear and perfume operations to Gucci Group. Saint Laurent retired in 2002.
That same year she started her own ready-to-wear line, which she sold in two Loulou de la Falaise shops in Paris and also to stores like Bergdorf Goodman. The clothing line captured much of her rare taste — well-cut blazers in the best English tweeds, French sailor pants in linen, striped silk blouses with cheeky black lace edging, masculine walking coats with fur linings, and gorgeous knits in perfectly chosen colors. She eventually reduced that business to a single shop, on Rue Cambon in Paris, though she continued to make her jewelry for other shops and customers.
“I’m consistent in my tastes,” Ms. de la Falaise said a few years ago, discussing the decoration of the high-ceiling flat that she shared with Mr. Klossowski, where an enormous chandelier — a wedding gift — was the centerpiece of the main room. “I like bright, multihued fabrics and colors. Anything can inspire me, whether it’s a journey or a crack in a wall. Sometimes I can even transform an undesirable object into a desirable one.”

fondation-pb-ysl.net
nytimes.com

RIP LouLou

 

[LUXXX]

I'm guessing lung cancer, but honestly I'm shocked...I feel like I just read an interview with her and it was never mentioned that she was ill! I had no idea she was this young though.

 

[Phuel]

What a face! Even older she remained a beauty-- I can see why Yves was so inspired by this woman.

Her life is to be celebrated of course, not mourned.

 

[lady stardust]

a true icon..and one of yves muses,
and now she's gone
Rest In Peace beautiful

 

[Label Basher]

RIP LouLou. A true Muse.
I agree 63 is too young to die.
She had a fab life and will be missed.

 

[newprincesita]

She was Lucie´s mum, right? So sad...

 

[Not Plain Jane]

Incredibly stylish woman- she will be missed. Luckily she left behind her mark on us and the fashion world, not to mention an adorable and equally stylish daughter (who is not visible enough lately imo ).

 

[Jasmine04]

She was Lucie´s mum, right? So sad...

She was Lucie's aunt. Loulou only had one child, Anna.

 

[KKnardi]

wow that's really early! 63?
I saw her at bon marche one...

 

[moirla]

RIP. So young.