An in-depth analysis of the business empire set up by Yves Saint Laurent's lover Pierre Berge and an insight into the life of a tragic 20th-century genius.

Yves Saint Laurent is arguably the greatest fashion designer of the twentieth century. At the age of twenty one he found fame as the brilliant young saviour of the house of Christian Dior, and his innovations have since transformed the way that ordinary women dress.

Behind the scenes, his business partner and former lover, Pierre Berge, turned their tiny 'haute couture' house into a role model for the new breed of global luxury goods groups. But fame and fortune have taken their toll on Saint Laurent, who withdrew from the world to fight his depressions an addictions. More recently his business affairs, in particular the $650 million sale of YSL to Sanofi, have caused a storm in France – fuelled by accusations of political intervention.

“Intelligent and pragmatic … this is a page turner of a book”
LINDA GRANT, 'New Statesman'

“As gripping a thriller, packed with plot, character and atmosphere … it is a lucid and straightforwardly revealing biography”
PENNY PERRICK, 'The Times'

“What a story! A skilful interweaving of the artistic, business and emotional life of a great couture house … balanced and well researched”
COLIN McDOWELL,'Mail on Sunday'

“Rawsthorn’s excellent biography isn’t merely a story about clothes but of crises, comebacks, and drug clinics, and as a document of the time it’s compulsive”
SYRIE JOHNSON, 'Evening Standard'

“Readers of Ms Rawsthorn’s book will understand why I found her magnificent account of a huge fashion business so fascinating”
HARDY AMIES, 'Daily Telegraph'