The weekly muse: Loulou de la Falaise

Louise Lucia Vava Henriette de la Falaise, sau mai pe scurt Loulou de la Falaise, s-a nascut in 1948, fiind fiica lui Comte Alan de la Falaise, un cunoscut scriitor si traducator si a lui Maxime Birley, top model in anii ’50. Maxime Birley a fost model pentru Elsa Schiaparelli, autoare a unei carti de bucate si , mai tarziu, a tinut o rubrica in cunoscuta publicatie Vogue despre arta de a gati.
Louise Lucia Vava Henriette de la Falaise, or shorter Loulou de la Falaise, was born in 1948, daughter of Comte Alan de la Falaise, a known writer and translator, and of Maxime Birley, one of the 50’s top model. Maxime Birley was model for Elsa Schiaparelli, a cooking book’s author, and later, she wrote a column about the art of cooking for the well known magazine, Vogue.

Loulou and Anna Klossowski


The jewellery designed by Loulou


Loulou, Yves Saint Laurent and Betty Catroux
Loulou spunea ca a fost crescuta cu parfumul Shocking de la casa Schaparelli, in loc de apa sfintita. Paradoxal, cand era mica visa sa devina scriitoare si ura hainele. A fost exmatriculata de la trei scoli private, din cauza incalcarii regulilor. Dupa ce este data afara de la ultima scoala, aflata in New York, o intalneste pe Diana Vreeland, redactor sef al editiei americane Vogue, care o angajeaza ca model. In scurt timp, demisioneaza si pleaca in Londra, unde incepe sa lucreze ca fashion editor junior pentru Queen Magazine.
Loulou said that she was raised with Shocking perfume from Schaparelli’s, instead of holy water. Paradoxically, when she was child, she wanted to become a writer and hated clothes. She was expelled from three private schools, for braking the rules. After she was expelled from the last school, in New York, she met Diane Vreeland, editor in chef at Vogue America at that time, who hired her as a model. Not long after, she resigned and left for London, where she started working as a junior fashion editor for Queen Magazine.



Loulou s-a marit inca de tanara cu un irlandez, Desmond Fitzgerald, care provenea dintr-o familie nobila. Nu dupa mult timp, s-au despartit, iar aceasta s-a mutat la Paris, unde prin intermediul unor prieteni, l-a intalnit pe Yves Saint Laurent, in 1968. Atunci a inceput o stransa relatie de prietenie care avea sa tina pana la disparitia regretatului designer in anul 2008.
Dupa ce il cunoaste pe designer, se intoarce la New York, unde lucreaza pentru Halston si Giorgio Sant’Angelo, in acelasi timp. Alaturi de Marisa si Berry Berenson, Robert Mapplethorpe si Paloma Picasso frecventeaza celebrul club, Studio 54.
Loulou has been married since she was very young with an Irish man, Desmond Fitzgerald, who came from a noble family. Not long time after, they broke up, and she moved to Paris, where through some common friends she met Yves Saint Laurent, in 1968. Then, was born a friendship that lasted until Yves Saint Laurent died, in 2008.
After she was presented to the designer, she returned to New York, where she worked for Halston and Giorgio Sant’Angelo, at the same time. With Marisa and Berry Berenson, Robbert Mapplethorpe and Paloma Picasso, frequently attended the famous club, Studio 54.



Colaborarea cu Yves Saint Laurent incepe in 1972, cand designerul ii propune sa se ocupe de partea de accesorii si bijuterii a casei de moda care-i poarta numele. Designerul si bunul ei prieten, afirma ca, pentru el, este mai mult decat mana dreapta si o buna prietena, ci si muza. Smockingul si camasile transparente au luat nastere in imaginatia geniului modei, inspirit fiind de stilul, atitudinea si energia pe care o transmitea Loulou.
Intr-un interviu acordat, Loulou de la Falaise afirma, in legatura cu ipostaza de muza, ca : “ Obisnuiam sa ma enervez la auzul acestui termen. Pentru mine, o muza este cineva care arata fantastic, dar este pasiv, in timp ce eu eram foarte muncitoare. Munceam de la 9 dimineata pana la 9 seara si uneori, pana la 2 dimineata. Cu siguranta, nu eram pasiva. Am lucrat la departamentul de bijuterii si, cateodata, intre colectii. Acum, ca totul s-a terminat, imi place sa ma gandesc ca o particica din sufletul meu exista in hainele care au fost create atunci cand, se presupune, ca trebuia sa fiu o sursa de inspiratie”.
Collaboration with Yves Saint Laurent began in 1972 when the designer proposed her to deal with the accessories and jewelry designs for his company. The designer said that for him, she is more than his right hand and a good friend, she’s his muse. Smocking and transparent shirts were born in the imagination of fashion genius, inspired by the style, attitude and energy of Loulou.
In an interview given to Vogue Italy, Loulou de la Falaise said: "I used to get very irritated by that term. 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. I worked on jewellery and knitwear, on the in-between collections. Now that it's all over, I like to think there's a bit of my soul in the clothes that were designed when I was there because I was supposed to be a source of inspiration."



Loulou and Betty Catroux.Front row at Yves Saint Laurent show


Loulou and Marisa Berrison



Statutul de muza l-a impartit cu enigmatica Betty Catroux, dupa cum spune: “Adevarul este ca Yves gasea atractiv la mine, fantezia. Betty Catroux a fost cea care i-a inspirat toate look-urile barbatesti. Eu am fost mereu influenta tiganeasca.”
She shared her muse status with the enigmatic Betty Catroux, as she said: “The truth is that Yves found in me fantasy. Betty Catroux was who inspired him in all men looks. I’ve been always the gipsy influence.”



Odata ce Yves Saint Laurent s-a retras, din motive de sanatate, din lumina reflectoarelor, in 2004, Loulou de la Falaise a ales sa-si lanseze propria ei afacere de accesorii si bijuterii. In present, creeaza bijuterii, este casatorita cu Thadee Klossowski, impreuna cu care are o fata pe nume Anna.
Once Yves Saint Laurent retired from the fashion industry because of health problems, in 2004, Loulou de la Falaise chose to launch her own business with accessories and jewellery. Now, she designs jewellery, is married with Thadee Klossowski, with whom she has a daughter named Anna.