Designer Yves St. Laurent dies aged 71

YVES Saint Laurent, one of the top French designers of the 20th century, has died in Paris, aged 71.

The death was announced this morning by the Pierre-Berg-Saint Laurent Foundation.

The reclusive French maestro, who had retired from haute couture in 2002 after four decades at the top of his fashion trade, had been ill for some time. Hedied on Sunday.

"Chanel gave women freedom" and Saint Laurent "gave them power," Berge said on France-Info radio. Saint Laurent was a "true creator," going beyond the aesthetic to make a social statement, Berge said.

"In this sense he was a libertarian, an anarchist and he threw bombs at the legs of society. That's how he transformed society and that's how he transformed women."

In his own words, Saint Laurent once said he felt "fashion was not only supposed to make women beautiful, but to reassure them, to give them confidence, to allow them to come to terms with themselves."