Style Icon: February: Yves Saint Laurent

When I was a young man, my style was a little...lacking. Being from "small town" Nebraska, I didn't get a lot of exposure to style. Shoot, when I moved here in late 1994, the skater/grunge scene hadn't even hit yet (after being the "it" thing in SoCal for a couple of years already). My interest in clothing/fashion sparked early; however, with limited access to style, I fell into the baggy shirts and even baggier jeans trend. It makes me cringe to think of some of the stuff I wore back then (ie. oversized silk shirts? FAIL). I worked in a Gadzooks if that gives you a better idea of my "style".

When I ventured out on my own and went to college, style was more readily available. I started reading GQ and made gradual changes in my personal style. T-shirts and tennis shoes switched to button downs and casual dress shoes. However, the fit was still baggy. I was 6' tall, weighed 120 lbs and was wearing larges and 34 x 34 pants. Swimming in a sea of fabric.

I started dating a girl who was up on fashion and I remember she went on a trip and brought me back a present; a beautiful Yves Saint Laurent dress shirt. It was a 15" neck and 32/33 arm length. I remember thinking, there's no way I'm gonna like this. Then, after trying it on, I was transformed. Slim fitting. Clean, beautiful lines. Sleeves that didn't bunch. I didn't look and feel like I was wearing a trash bag. It felt good. Scratch that; it felt great. I remember that being the turning point in my style. I'd always admired high end fashion but never wanted to duplicate it in my style. Yves Saint Laurent changed that for me. To this day, he is my favorite designer and I acquire anything I can afford (which generally is vintage thrift finds). I have his sense of style and craftsmanship to thank for helping me find my sense of style.