Chapter 8 : 10 Designers that all women should know
10. Yves Saint Laurent
Laurent, 1936-2008, was a French designer famous for his iconic reimagining of ‘masculine’ clothes and tailoring them into beautiful pieces for women. He was well known for pushing the boundaries of what was then common in the fashion world and was the first to incorporate Non-European cultural references into his clothes as well as the first designer to start hiring non-white models to walk his runway shows. Perhaps his most famous contribution to the fashion world was his introduction of women’s ‘power suits.’
“The most beautiful clothes that can dress a woman are the arms of the man she loves. But for those who haven't had the fortune of finding this happiness, I am there.” ― Yves Saint-Laurent
9.Pierre Cardin
Cardin, born in 1922 in Italy, was most influential in the late 20th century for his clothes that looked as though they may have come out of the 25th century. His designs stunned with their futuristic appearances and geometric feel. He was one of the first designers that displayed unisex styled clothing.
8. Tom Ford
Ford is an American designer most who received the 2000 Best International Designer award. He famously claims that originally he had gone to school to be an actor, and fell into the world of fashion design. In his career Ford has been creative director of YSL and Gucci and in currently starting out a second career as a film director.
“I do struggle because I’m attracted to beautiful things, yet at the same time I am actually very aware, in some sense, their lack of value and that the most important things in life are your connections to other people.” ― Tom Ford
7.Christian Dior
The French designer, 1905-1957, is most famous for discovering the ‘New Look’ silhouette and revolutionizing women’s clothing in the years after World War II.
“Women are most fascinating between the ages of 35 and 40 after they have won a few races and know how to pace themselves. Since few women ever pass 40, maximum fascination can continue indefinitely.” ― Christian Dior
6. Ralph Lauren
With a net worth now nearing $7.9 billion, the American designer, born in 1939, was the creator of the iconic polo shirt, a staple that has remained nearly unchanged and is still a classic piece today. The polo logo first appeared in 1970 on Lauren’s runway suits and on the classic polo in ’72.
“Style is very personal. It has nothing to do with fashion. Fashion is over quickly. Style is forever.” ― Ralph Lauren
5. Donatella Versace
After her brother, Giovanni ‘Gianni’ Versace’s, murder in 1977 the Italian born designer took over her brother’s semi-known label and made it into something iconic. A relatively recent addition to the fashion world, the now 66 year old mounted her very first runway show ever in 2000 and since then has made the Versace line into something covered internationally.
“Creativity comes from a conflict of ideas” ― Donatella Versace
4. Calvin Klein
The American designer launched his brand, Calvin Klein Inc., now a household name internationally, in 1968 and holds the honor of being the first ever designer to receive the Outstanding Design Award in Men and Women’s Clothing from the CDFA.
3. Giorgio Armani
Armani, an Italian designer born in 1934, is particularly noted in the fashion world for his menswear. The clean, tailored lines of his suits quickly made classics, the precipice of suit design. Armani is also credited with pioneering the modern red carpet fashions that we see gracing the pages of every magazine today.
“Elegance is not about being noticed, it’s about being remembered” ― Giorgio Armani
2. Donna Karan
The lone-man behind the building of DKNY, a brand that has become an empire, this American designer was born into a fashion family and always knew that was where she belonged. After high school the New York native attended Parsons School of designs and after working for many other notable names in fashion, quickly built herself an empire.
“A fashion victim is dressed in designer clothes from top to bottom.” ― Donna Karan
And finally, the veritable queen of the fashion world
1. Coco Chanel
This French designer is perhaps the most famous name in the fashion world. Born 1883 and dying 1971 she began the Chanel brand, which still maintains its elite status in the high fashion world today. Chanel popularized the sporty, casual chic look for women and completely revolutionized the idea of women’s modesty by liberating everyone from the constraints of the classic corset silhouette in the post World War I era.
“It’s probably not just by chance that I’m alone. It would be very hard for a man to live with me, unless he’s terribly strong. And if he’s stronger than I, I’m the one who can’t live with him. … I’m neither smart nor stupid, but I don’t think I’m a run-of-the-mill person. I’ve been in business without being a businesswoman, I’ve loved without being a woman made only for love. The two men I’ve loved, I think, will remember me, on earth or in heaven, because men always remember a woman who caused them concern and uneasiness. I’ve done my best, in regard to people and to life, without precepts, but with a taste for justice.” ― Coco Chanel
10. Yves Saint Laurent
Laurent（1936年－2008年），法国著名的设计师，他因将“阳刚之气”衣服的标志性重塑并为女性剪裁成美丽的作品而闻名。他被众人熟知的是他能推动时尚圈的的界限，并首次结合非欧洲文化引用在他的衣服上，以及第一个聘用非白人模特走自己的时装秀的设计师。也许他在时尚界最知名的贡献是他对女性“权力套装”的介绍。
“用来装扮女人的最漂亮的衣服，是她所爱的男人的怀抱。但是，对于那些谁还不够幸运找到这种幸福的人来说，有我在。”― Yves Saint-Laurent.
9. Pierre Cardin
Cardin，出生于1922年的意大利，他的衣服在20世纪后期是最具影响力的，看起来他们可能在25世纪才问世。他的设计以其未来派的外观和几何的感觉而惊艳。他是第一个设计男女皆宜风格的服装设计师之一。
8. Tom Ford
Ford是获得了2000年最佳国际设计师奖的美国设计师。著名的是他宣称原来他去学校想成为一名演员，却陷入了时装设计的世界。Ford的职业生涯中曾担任YSL和Gucci的创意总监，目前作为一个电影导演开始了他的第二份职业。
“我一直努力奋斗，因为我被美的东西所吸引，但在同时，我其实很清楚，从某种意义上说，他们所缺乏的价值和生命中最重要的事情是人与人之间的联系。”― Tom Ford.
7. Christian Dior
法国设计师，1905年至1957年，因“新风貌”时装蜚声世界，并在第二次世界大战后的几年彻底改变女性的服装。
“女性在35岁到40岁间最为迷人，当她们已经获得了一些人生阅历，并知道如何自我装扮。而少数女性就算过了40岁，她们的魅力也可以无限期地持续下去。“ ― Christian Dior
6. Ralph Lauren
美国设计师，净资产目前已接近79亿美元，出生于1939年，是标志性polo衫的创造者，这件主打产品几乎保持不变，到今天仍然是一个经典的单品。polo标志首次出现是在1970年Lauren走秀台的西装上，在72年用在了经典的polo衫上。
“风格非常个人化的，这无关时尚。时尚很快就会结束，而风格是永恒的。“― Ralph Lauren
5. Donatella Versace
在Giovanni ‘Gianni’ Versace的哥哥于1977年被谋杀后，这位意大利出生的设计师接手哥哥创立的小知名度商标，并使它成为标志性品牌。最近对于时尚界的一项新举措，现年66岁的她在2000年首次举办时装秀，自那时起便将Versace品牌覆盖到了全球。
“创意来自于思想的冲突” ― Donatella Versace
4. Calvin Klein
美国设计师推出了自己的品牌，Calvin Klein公司，目前国际上一个家喻户晓的名字，作为有史以来第一个在1968年从CFDA获得男女服装杰出设计奖荣誉的设计师。
3. Giorgio Armani
Aemani，1934年出生的设计师，在时尚界以男装设计特别出名。他的整洁，剪裁考究的西装迅速曾为了经典的西装设计领域。Armani也开拓了红毯的时尚，丰富了我们今天所看到的每本杂志的页面。
“优雅并不只是引人瞩目，而是让人难以忘怀。” ― Giorgio Armani
2. Donna Karan
一个单身的人在DKNY大楼之中，而这个品牌已成为一个帝国，这个美国设计师出生于一个时尚家庭，而她一直都知道那是她的归属。高中毕业后，这个纽约人进入了帕森斯设计学院，在为许多时尚界著名的品牌工作之后，她快速构建了属于自己的品牌帝国。
“一个时尚的受害者应从头到脚都穿着设计师服装。” ― Donna Karan
最后，名副其实的时尚界女王
1. Coco Chanel
这个法国设计师也许是时尚界最响亮的名字。 1883年出生，1971年去世，她创立了香奈儿品牌，它仍然保持着当今高级时装界顶尖的地位。Chanel普及了运动型，休闲时髦的女性时装，以及将女性从第一次世界大战年代的经典紧身胸衣的束缚中彻底释放她们的矜持。
“我一直单身也许并非偶然。如果要一个男人和我一起生活可能会非常难，除非他非常强大。如果他比我强，我将无法和他生活......我既不聪明也不笨，但我不认为我是一个平庸的人。我不是一个女商人而一直在从商，我曾经爱过但不是一个为爱而生的女人。我曾爱过两个男人，我想，他们会记得我，在人间或者天堂，因为男人会永远记住使得他们担心和不安的女人。我在考虑他人和生活方面做到了最好，我没有严格的戒律，但我有对正义的见解。“― Coco Chanel