To my Yves Saint Laurent
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Description
Book Introduction
The story begins after the love of my life leaves me.
─ Pierre Bergé, the lover and business partner of fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent,
Letters he couldn't send, written after the death of his lover of 50 years.
Author Pierre Bergé was not only an entrepreneur who led the global fashion company Yves Saint Laurent, but he was also a patron of numerous artists and an art collector, and a figure who exerted influence throughout the cultural world, including becoming the president of the Paris Opera National de Paris.
Meanwhile, he actively supports the PACS (Civil Solidarity Pact) law, which legally guarantees same-sex unions, and his actions as a social activist are also impressive, such as acquiring the struggling French daily newspaper Le Monde in 2010 and explicitly stating complete editorial independence.
But what resonates most deeply with us is the fact that he dedicated his life to properly embodying the inspiration of a genius who will forever be remembered in the history of fashion.
The person who stayed by Yves Saint Laurent's side and supported him so that he could do nothing but fashion, as he was not interested in anything else, was none other than Pierre Bergé.
This is a move that is supported by his inherent respect for art and his confidence in Yves Saint Laurent's genius, but that alone is not enough to explain it.
The powerful driving force that led him to embrace the darkness behind genius, alcohol and drug addiction, depression and even hysteria, was none other than his love for Yves Saint Laurent.
"To My Yves Saint Laurent" begins with the eulogy read by Pierre Bergé at Yves Saint Laurent's funeral.
And this piece, written in the form of a letter to a dead lover, begins again on Christmas Day, six months after the funeral.
Left alone after the love of his life passes away, 78-year-old Pierre Bergé writes undeliverable letters, reminiscing about their life together and reflecting on life and love.
The letter concludes with a eulogy read by Pierre Bergé on the first anniversary of Yves Saint Laurent's death.
─ Pierre Bergé, the lover and business partner of fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent,
Letters he couldn't send, written after the death of his lover of 50 years.
Author Pierre Bergé was not only an entrepreneur who led the global fashion company Yves Saint Laurent, but he was also a patron of numerous artists and an art collector, and a figure who exerted influence throughout the cultural world, including becoming the president of the Paris Opera National de Paris.
Meanwhile, he actively supports the PACS (Civil Solidarity Pact) law, which legally guarantees same-sex unions, and his actions as a social activist are also impressive, such as acquiring the struggling French daily newspaper Le Monde in 2010 and explicitly stating complete editorial independence.
But what resonates most deeply with us is the fact that he dedicated his life to properly embodying the inspiration of a genius who will forever be remembered in the history of fashion.
The person who stayed by Yves Saint Laurent's side and supported him so that he could do nothing but fashion, as he was not interested in anything else, was none other than Pierre Bergé.
This is a move that is supported by his inherent respect for art and his confidence in Yves Saint Laurent's genius, but that alone is not enough to explain it.
The powerful driving force that led him to embrace the darkness behind genius, alcohol and drug addiction, depression and even hysteria, was none other than his love for Yves Saint Laurent.
"To My Yves Saint Laurent" begins with the eulogy read by Pierre Bergé at Yves Saint Laurent's funeral.
And this piece, written in the form of a letter to a dead lover, begins again on Christmas Day, six months after the funeral.
Left alone after the love of his life passes away, 78-year-old Pierre Bergé writes undeliverable letters, reminiscing about their life together and reflecting on life and love.
The letter concludes with a eulogy read by Pierre Bergé on the first anniversary of Yves Saint Laurent's death.
- You can preview some of the book's contents.
Preview
index
To my Yves Saint Laurent
Translator's Note: The Man Who Remained an Immortal Lover
Translator's Note: The Man Who Remained an Immortal Lover
Into the book
How clear and fresh the morning in Paris was when we first met.
--- First sentence
This letter is entirely for you, a way to continue our conversation and my way of speaking to you.
To you who won't listen or answer.
--- p.17
I closed your eyes.
That was the end.
I didn't cry.
It was only later, after a long time, that the tears finally began to flow.
You died surrounded by the people you loved.
As Philippe and I told the press, the phone started ringing.
--- p.23
Maybe this is what madman's love is like.
The love of two madmen.
There were times when I tried to leave you and wanted to go somewhere else, but every path led back to you.
--- p.30
You lost everything on the day your farewell fashion show was held at the Pompidou Center.
I said goodbye while looking at the work on stage.
I remember you walking down the runway like you were about to be guillotined.
--- p.45
Yes, the work of two madmen! Newspapers all over the world are talking about this auction.
There are no more vacancies at the hotel, and the flights to Le Bourget Airport are full.
People are calling this auction the 'auction of the century'.
To be honest, all of this is fun, but not enough to make me jump for joy.
--- p.53
I'm living my life pretending like nothing happened.
I'm calling you and talking to you like I've always done, thinking you'll carefully open my office door to make sure there are no intruders.
But inevitably, I always run into your absence.
That absence haunts me, always and everywhere.
You are everywhere and you stay there.
--- p.71
You used to express your love like that sometimes.
At the end of the letter it was written like this.
“Always, always and forever, your Eve.”
--- p.101
May this writing reveal your talents, your tastes, your intelligence, your kindness, your gentleness, your strength, your courage, your purity, your beauty, your vision, your integrity, your honesty, your stubbornness and your desires.
Those 'giant wings' that prevented you from walking.
--- First sentence
This letter is entirely for you, a way to continue our conversation and my way of speaking to you.
To you who won't listen or answer.
--- p.17
I closed your eyes.
That was the end.
I didn't cry.
It was only later, after a long time, that the tears finally began to flow.
You died surrounded by the people you loved.
As Philippe and I told the press, the phone started ringing.
--- p.23
Maybe this is what madman's love is like.
The love of two madmen.
There were times when I tried to leave you and wanted to go somewhere else, but every path led back to you.
--- p.30
You lost everything on the day your farewell fashion show was held at the Pompidou Center.
I said goodbye while looking at the work on stage.
I remember you walking down the runway like you were about to be guillotined.
--- p.45
Yes, the work of two madmen! Newspapers all over the world are talking about this auction.
There are no more vacancies at the hotel, and the flights to Le Bourget Airport are full.
People are calling this auction the 'auction of the century'.
To be honest, all of this is fun, but not enough to make me jump for joy.
--- p.53
I'm living my life pretending like nothing happened.
I'm calling you and talking to you like I've always done, thinking you'll carefully open my office door to make sure there are no intruders.
But inevitably, I always run into your absence.
That absence haunts me, always and everywhere.
You are everywhere and you stay there.
--- p.71
You used to express your love like that sometimes.
At the end of the letter it was written like this.
“Always, always and forever, your Eve.”
--- p.101
May this writing reveal your talents, your tastes, your intelligence, your kindness, your gentleness, your strength, your courage, your purity, your beauty, your vision, your integrity, your honesty, your stubbornness and your desires.
Those 'giant wings' that prevented you from walking.
--- p.144
Publisher's Review
〉 Auction of the Century, Proof of Love
This auction is taking up all my time.
You're answering the same question over and over again.
We keep repeating the same answers about how we gathered our collection, what was the first piece we owned, why we're having this auction, what was your favorite piece of art, and what was mine. (Page 37)
On the one hand, it's surprising that we've never had a disagreement over our tastes.
In fact, isn't this collection and this house the greatest proof of the love we've shared with each other? (p. 53)
After Yves Saint Laurent's death in 2008, Pierre Bergé auctioned off all the possessions and houses he had purchased with Yves Saint Laurent.
The book follows Pierre Bergé's decision to auction off his collection and his subsequent journey.
Through the small but poignant memories surrounding the collection, the difficulties encountered during the auction process, and the candid writings of memories of deceased lovers discovered here and there, the author calmly shows that an auction is not just a process of disposing of property, but also a process of organizing their lives and loves.
Their collections, which had been shrouded in secrecy, including those of Eileen Gray, Picasso, and Matisse, were revealed to the world in 2009 through the so-called 'auction of the century.'
The auction proceeds, which amounted to over 700 billion won, were later returned to various social causes, including the AIDS Treatment Foundation.
When we first met, you were twenty-one and had never lived with a man.
It wasn't easy, but I wanted to show you that such a life could exist, and that all it took was honesty. (p. 113)
In 1958, Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé first met at a dinner.
Yves Saint Laurent, still a bit shy, had just made himself known to the world as Dior's head designer, and 27-year-old Pierre Bergé had been in a seven-year relationship with Bernard Buffet, the painter known as the prince of figurative painting.
The two fell in love at first sight and their bond grew stronger when they founded a fashion company together in 1961, with Pierre Bergé taking over the management.
What's interesting is that their relationship is difficult to distinguish between public and private, and what's even more interesting is that this relationship lasted a lifetime.
As evidenced by the fact that Pierre Bergé flatly declined the offer to run Chanel, one of the most prestigious fashion houses, in favor of Yves Saint Laurent, many of his actions were decided by or for his lovers.
They did not hide their sexual orientation from the beginning, and they actively participated in legislative movements for sexual minorities, and did not hesitate to expand their personal relationships into the social sphere, such as signing the PACS Act as soon as it was passed in 1999.
In this context, Pierre Bergé actively reveals his side as a companion and business partner by publishing a letter to his dead lover while simultaneously revealing the profound influence that designer Yves Saint Laurent had on the history of fashion.
〉 Fashion Revolutionary, Yves Saint Laurent
Pierre Bergé once said in an interview, “This book is a biography of Yves Saint Laurent written in my own way.”
As he said, reading this book vividly portrays Yves Saint Laurent as seen through Pierre Bergé's eyes.
He is a shy and clever boy, and at times a hopeless alcoholic, but most importantly, he is treated as a strict perfectionist and an innovative fashion designer who expanded fashion from the aesthetic realm to the social realm.
Don't forget that you invented ready-to-wear.
Nothing can bring such eternal glory.
It's hard to believe that there was no ready-made clothing before you.
But it's true.
You created modern women's clothing and its influence spread around the world.
The women in trousers looked like Roman legions. (p. 109)
Yves Saint Laurent is known as the first designer to introduce ready-to-wear.
Yves Saint Laurent's free-spirited thinking, which wanted everyone to enjoy wearing his own clothes regardless of class or gender, had a huge impact on the fashion world, which was then the exclusive domain of the wealthy.
In 1966, he made a significant mark in the history of women's fashion by introducing the men's tuxedo suit to women's clothing and creating the first women's trouser suit.
Pierre Bergé observes from the closest and most active angle the innovativeness of Yves Saint Laurent, who expanded the meaning of fashion from the limited category of simply beautiful clothing to a social context.
〉 The meaning of a completed life
"To My Yves Saint Laurent" begins with the eulogy read by Pierre Bergé at Yves Saint Laurent's funeral.
His letters, filled with 50 years of passionate love and respect, begin again six months later on Christmas Day, in a deeply personal and intimate way.
Through letters that continued for about a year, he reminisces about their lives together for 50 years.
Through the process of disposing of the numerous works of art and homes he collected with Yves Saint Laurent but now owns, he calmly reveals their achievements and failures, the dazzling moments of love and the painful times of long agony.
As we follow the process, we find that at the end, we find a man stripped of all social trappings, left in an empty house after losing his long-time lover.
From the Translator's Note
What would it be like if a man who spent his life as someone's lover and a genius' assistant were left alone?
After Yves Saint Laurent's death, Pierre Bergé continues to listen to music and read books, as he had done throughout his life, to talk to the man who is no longer with him.
There is a life where the absence of a lover is felt at every moment, where everything in daily life reminds one of memories with him, and there is a sigh of loneliness at the twilight of not being able to look forward to the future or take on new challenges together.
Through a man who quietly, beyond the dazzling and winding journey of life, closes the curtain on the play of life and clears the stage, we will encounter a love that is complete but not perfect.
And you will come to the conclusion that maybe that is the essence of life.
This auction is taking up all my time.
You're answering the same question over and over again.
We keep repeating the same answers about how we gathered our collection, what was the first piece we owned, why we're having this auction, what was your favorite piece of art, and what was mine. (Page 37)
On the one hand, it's surprising that we've never had a disagreement over our tastes.
In fact, isn't this collection and this house the greatest proof of the love we've shared with each other? (p. 53)
After Yves Saint Laurent's death in 2008, Pierre Bergé auctioned off all the possessions and houses he had purchased with Yves Saint Laurent.
The book follows Pierre Bergé's decision to auction off his collection and his subsequent journey.
Through the small but poignant memories surrounding the collection, the difficulties encountered during the auction process, and the candid writings of memories of deceased lovers discovered here and there, the author calmly shows that an auction is not just a process of disposing of property, but also a process of organizing their lives and loves.
Their collections, which had been shrouded in secrecy, including those of Eileen Gray, Picasso, and Matisse, were revealed to the world in 2009 through the so-called 'auction of the century.'
The auction proceeds, which amounted to over 700 billion won, were later returned to various social causes, including the AIDS Treatment Foundation.
When we first met, you were twenty-one and had never lived with a man.
It wasn't easy, but I wanted to show you that such a life could exist, and that all it took was honesty. (p. 113)
In 1958, Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé first met at a dinner.
Yves Saint Laurent, still a bit shy, had just made himself known to the world as Dior's head designer, and 27-year-old Pierre Bergé had been in a seven-year relationship with Bernard Buffet, the painter known as the prince of figurative painting.
The two fell in love at first sight and their bond grew stronger when they founded a fashion company together in 1961, with Pierre Bergé taking over the management.
What's interesting is that their relationship is difficult to distinguish between public and private, and what's even more interesting is that this relationship lasted a lifetime.
As evidenced by the fact that Pierre Bergé flatly declined the offer to run Chanel, one of the most prestigious fashion houses, in favor of Yves Saint Laurent, many of his actions were decided by or for his lovers.
They did not hide their sexual orientation from the beginning, and they actively participated in legislative movements for sexual minorities, and did not hesitate to expand their personal relationships into the social sphere, such as signing the PACS Act as soon as it was passed in 1999.
In this context, Pierre Bergé actively reveals his side as a companion and business partner by publishing a letter to his dead lover while simultaneously revealing the profound influence that designer Yves Saint Laurent had on the history of fashion.
〉 Fashion Revolutionary, Yves Saint Laurent
Pierre Bergé once said in an interview, “This book is a biography of Yves Saint Laurent written in my own way.”
As he said, reading this book vividly portrays Yves Saint Laurent as seen through Pierre Bergé's eyes.
He is a shy and clever boy, and at times a hopeless alcoholic, but most importantly, he is treated as a strict perfectionist and an innovative fashion designer who expanded fashion from the aesthetic realm to the social realm.
Don't forget that you invented ready-to-wear.
Nothing can bring such eternal glory.
It's hard to believe that there was no ready-made clothing before you.
But it's true.
You created modern women's clothing and its influence spread around the world.
The women in trousers looked like Roman legions. (p. 109)
Yves Saint Laurent is known as the first designer to introduce ready-to-wear.
Yves Saint Laurent's free-spirited thinking, which wanted everyone to enjoy wearing his own clothes regardless of class or gender, had a huge impact on the fashion world, which was then the exclusive domain of the wealthy.
In 1966, he made a significant mark in the history of women's fashion by introducing the men's tuxedo suit to women's clothing and creating the first women's trouser suit.
Pierre Bergé observes from the closest and most active angle the innovativeness of Yves Saint Laurent, who expanded the meaning of fashion from the limited category of simply beautiful clothing to a social context.
〉 The meaning of a completed life
"To My Yves Saint Laurent" begins with the eulogy read by Pierre Bergé at Yves Saint Laurent's funeral.
His letters, filled with 50 years of passionate love and respect, begin again six months later on Christmas Day, in a deeply personal and intimate way.
Through letters that continued for about a year, he reminisces about their lives together for 50 years.
Through the process of disposing of the numerous works of art and homes he collected with Yves Saint Laurent but now owns, he calmly reveals their achievements and failures, the dazzling moments of love and the painful times of long agony.
As we follow the process, we find that at the end, we find a man stripped of all social trappings, left in an empty house after losing his long-time lover.
From the Translator's Note
What would it be like if a man who spent his life as someone's lover and a genius' assistant were left alone?
After Yves Saint Laurent's death, Pierre Bergé continues to listen to music and read books, as he had done throughout his life, to talk to the man who is no longer with him.
There is a life where the absence of a lover is felt at every moment, where everything in daily life reminds one of memories with him, and there is a sigh of loneliness at the twilight of not being able to look forward to the future or take on new challenges together.
Through a man who quietly, beyond the dazzling and winding journey of life, closes the curtain on the play of life and clears the stage, we will encounter a love that is complete but not perfect.
And you will come to the conclusion that maybe that is the essence of life.
GOODS SPECIFICS
- Publication date: February 9, 2021
- Format: Hardcover book binding method guide
- Page count, weight, size: 160 pages | 242g | 113*198*13mm
- ISBN13: 9791197325809
- ISBN10: 1197325808
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