loulou de la falaise

loulou de la falaise was a fashion muse and designer of fashion, accessories, and jewellery associated with yves saint-laurent. author judith thurman, writing in the new yorker magazine, called la falaise 'the quintessential rive gauche haute bohémienne'.

Loulou de la Falaise

Loulou de la Falaise (right) with Yves Saint Laurent

daughter of an anglo-irish fashion model and a french marquis, la falaise was a close friend and creative partner of yves saint laurent. she apparently helped inspire his 1966 women's tuxedo le smoking and his see-through blouses. after more than three decades designing jewelry and accessories for saint laurent, la falaise launched her own fashion business, designing ready-to-wear, costume-jewellery and accessories.

responding to a description of her as a saint laurent muse in 2010, la falaise responded, 'for me, a muse is someone who looks glamorous but is quite passive, whereas i was very hard-working. i worked from 9am to sometimes 9pm, or even 2am. i certainly wasn't passive.' 

'freehand' necklace

'her official task was to bring her eccentric style to accessories and jewellery, and she duly came up with often-chunky designs incorporating large colourful stones, enamel work or rock crystal'. la falaise also inspired saint laurent with her inventive wardrobe: 'one week she was desdemona in purple velvet flares and a crown of flowers, the next marlene [dietrich] with plucked crescent-shaped eyebrows'. 

Jewellery for Oscar de la Renta

in 2002, when saint laurent retired, la falaise began producing her own clothing and jewellery designs. she also designed cloisonné boxes and porcelain vases for asiatides, as well as jewellery for the boutique of the majorelle gardens in marrakech, morocco. she sold simplified versions of her jewellery designs in a line created for the home shopping network and created costume jewellery for oscar de la renta.

fash'on... BAM!