It’s the year for Yves Saint Laurent in film, with two biopics of the designer likely to be released. One, currently titled Saint Laurent, stars Gaspard Ulliel (Hannibal), Louis Garrel (The Dreamers), Jérémie Renier (In Bruges) and Lea Seydoux (Inglourious Basterds). However before that one we’ll get New Yves Saint Laurent, with Pierre Niney in the title role. A new UK trailer for that film has now been released and you can take a look at a few images from the film below.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘Paris, 1957. 21 year old Yves is catapulted to international stardom as the successor to Christian Dior who has recently died.  At his first catwalk show he meets Pierre Bergé, who will become his lover and business partner, and begins a relationship that will change his life forever.  Just a few years later however he’s subjected to the public humiliation of being fired.  Refusing to succumb to his critics and self-doubt, he creates the Yves Saint Laurent fashion house and presents the first-ever ‘ready to wear’ collection, shocking the world of couture.

‘YVES SAINT LAURENT follows the designer as he attempts to democratise fashion against the backdrop of Sixties’ liberation, battling his personal demons to build an empire that would be renowned for liberating women all over the world.

‘Directed by Jalil Lespert, starring Pierre Niney as Yves Saint Laurent and Guillaume Gallienne as Pierre Bergé, Charlotte le Bon as Victoire Doutreleau, Laura Smet as Loulou de la Falaise, Marie de Villepin as Betty Catroux and Nikolai Kinski as Karl Largerfeld.

‘YVES SAINT LAURENT features real locations in Paris and Morocco and original clothes from the Yves Saint Laurent haute couture collection archive.’

The film, which is based by Pierre Bergé, will hit UK cinemas on March 21st.

Like quite a few top designers, Yves Saint Laurent is a household name, but not that many people know anything about the man himself. Now a new French biopic, named after its subject, is coming to illuminate us of the life and love of the gay couturier.

The movie follows the man who at the astonishingly young age of 21 became the head designer of the House of Christian Dior S.A., with his first collection credited by many with saving the company. Around the same time he met Pierre Berge, who became his lover and business partner. They launched the YSL fashion house together in 1961, running it for several decades. They split in 1976, but remained close for the rest of Saint Laurent’s life, entering a civil partnership together just before the designer died in 2008.

Pierre Niney plays Laurent, with Guillaume Gallienne as Berge. Jalil Lespert directs.

This is actually one of two biopics of the designer likely to be released next year. While the one above has the official backing of Berge, the other has a more high-profile French cast, including Gaspard Ulliel (Hannibal), Louis Garrel (The Dreamers), Jérémie Renier (In Bruges) and Lea Seydoux (Inglourious Basterds). [Read more…]