TODAY, FEW FASHION MUSES ARE AS ENDURING AND RELEVANT AS BETTY CATROUX HAS BEEN TO THE HOUSE OF SAINT LAURENT.
From the time they first met at the legendary Parisian nightclub New Jimmy’s in 1967, Betty Catroux (left) was said to have mesmerised Yves Saint Laurent with her masculine-meets-feminine style. It would lead to a lifelong friendship – she called him her soulmate while he described her as his “female double” – as well as some of the brand’s most iconic designs such as the Le Smoking tuxedo and safari jacket, all of which referenced her long, lean silhouette and disaffected cool. Taking the helm eight years after Saint Laurent’s passing, present-day creative director Anthony Vaccarello (right) too has repeatedly found inspiration in the now-75-year-old Catroux. He cast her in the brand’s Fall/Winter 2018 campaign, then revived her preferred mode of wearing tailoring – nude under the jacket, sunglasses, all-black – for the Fall/Winter 2019 collection. For the Betty Catroux, Yves Saint Laurent: Feminine Singular exhibition at the Musee Yves Saint Laurent Paris, he was given carte blanche by Madison Cox – president of the Fondation Pierre Berge-Yves Saint Laurent that conserves and promotes the brand’s heritage – as curator. Highlights include several pieces from Catroux’s own personal collection that she had donated to the Fondation. Word is that the blonde dislikes being called a muse. How then to describe her behind-the-scenes influence on the house? Vaccarello sums it up: “She lives and breathes Saint Laurent – an allure, a mystery, an almost nefarious aspect, an elusive yet desirable nature, all that underlies the house’s aura. You understand the magnitude of it when you meet Betty.”
Portrait of Betty Catroux & Anthony Vaccarello David Sims All other photos Courtesy of Saint Laurent
