Inspired by: Loulou de La Falaise

INSPIRED BY | MASTERS & MUSES | CABANA MAGAZINE

Ten years since the publication of The Glamorous Romantic, Natasha Fraser and Ariel de Ravenel's 2014 monograph on the late Loulou de la Falaise, the visionary designer continues to captivate. As Cabana launches a vintage collection directly inspired by Loulou's unstudied style and indefatigable spirit, Natasha Fraser examines the life and legacy of a truly original voice. 

BY NATASHA FRASER | MASTERS & MUSES | 30 OCTOBER 2024

Her “unstudied style and indefatigable spirit”, to quote Marian McEvoy, enchanted creatives around the world – from writers Bruce Chatwin and John Richardson to the artist Celia Birtwell, the director Sofia Coppola, and the singer Patti Smith. But it is not enough to call Loulou de la Falaise (1947 – 2011) a fashion icon and muse to Yves Saint Laurent; this limits her and fails to adequately capture her legacy.

Ten years since our 2014 monograph, The Glamorous Romantic, Loulou fever and fascination continues. The book was a joint venture with Ariel de Ravenel, Loulou’s business partner since 2002: just as I conceived, researched and wrote the five chapters, Ariel hunted down and cherry-picked all the sensational imagery.

As shown in The Glamorous Romantic, the chameleon-like Loulou adapted to each decade. Masters like Richard Avedon, Helmut Newton and Irving Penn captured her evolving importance, while tender portraits by Italian photographers, like Elisabeta Catalano, Oberto Gili and Gianni Penati, caught her love affair with color. Both a dramatic actress and laughing sprite, Loulou could pull off hippy waif in hat and flowers, grand couture client in gold brocade cape, and or jacket embroidered with crystal drops, yet deliver éclat in a classic trench coat and or ribbed sweater.

Designer Fernando Sanchez, who introduced Loulou to Saint Laurent in 1968, described her as, “one of those extraordinary creatures that could reinvent herself with two, three safety pins and four scarves”. Ever innovative and imaginative, Loulou’s be-ringed but non-manicured fingers itched to transform herself and others. “Let’s escape,” the aquamarine-eyed star seemed to whisper.

There was the mythic, chunky jewellery for the house of Yves Saint Laurent – Loulou favoured rock crystal, amethyst and polished wood – and her styling of the infamous collections, but also her off-the-cuff creations: toadstool prints for Halston in the 1960s, keenly observed by work colleague Elsa Peretti; her 1977 wedding ball diamanté moon crown, put together within minutes; and her poetic way with interiors that questioned Parisian convention.

“Loulou de la Falaise,” wrote Pierre Bergé in The Glamorous Romantic’s foreword, “Such a French name for a British woman who was…so British.” Indeed, the half-French, half-Anglo-Irish Loulou inherited the best from her father, a dapper marquis who haunted the members-only Jockey Club, and her beautiful mother, Maxime Birley, the bohemian Parisian artist and former Schiaparelli model.

Although Loulou possessed her mother’s confidence and precision, acutely aware of the looks that suited her androgynous frame, her adventurous choices – expressed by bold color palette and elaborate jewellery – and self-deprecating nature felt distinctly English. When stopped at JFK airport in the 1980s – “say lady, do you work in the circus?” enquired the customs officer, faced with four suitcases of her Aladdin’s Cave of accessories – Loulou dined off the story for weeks.

With Saint Laurent, she shared a special contact. “There were no lengthy discussions or debates,” recalled Marion McEvoy. “But lots of communication through gestures and glances.” Meanwhile, she became the house’s unofficial stylist choosing the right dress for fellow icons, such as Romy Schneider, or film outfits for stars like Catherine Deneuve. “Loulou’s big expression was, ‘let’s de-dramatize the situation,’” recalls Hélène de Ludinghausen, then in charge of YSL couture. “It was a helpful attitude.”

Loulou de la Falaise, photographed by Guy Marineau.

When starting at W magazine in 1991, Boury, Loulou’s home outside Paris, was my first house assignment. My then boss, John Fairchild, was thrilled – he compared her to a young Gabrielle Chanel – and I was terrified. Loulou could be brittle with unknown journalists. Instead, I found a hands-on Mum, with her daughter, Anna, and welcoming hostess. “Thadée (Klossowski) and I almost divorced moving the sofas,” she admitted, followed by her signature throaty laugh. That Sunday afternoon, under the ‘Halloween’ willow tree, resembled a Jean Renoir film.

Over the years, the Loulou interviews continued. She defined a journalist’s dream by being articulate and original. Naturally, there was serious enthusiasm when she launched her own label in 2003, particularly in the tweed blazers, knits in unusual colors and glass paste jewellery. “I was so happy,” said the late Hubert de Givenchy, “I thought, ‘finally, a place where you can dress and learn about style.”

Unfortunately, the venture closed after three years. But Loulou soldiered on, designing for Oscar de la Renta and the Home Shopping Network – “muse turns mass,” quipped Women’s Wear Daily. And in May 2011, she was the artistic director behind the triumphant Yves Saint Laurent: Rive Gauche exhibition at the Pierre Bergé – Yves Saint Foundation.

I last saw Loulou in November 2010. We discussed our daughters. “Anna is a good kid,” she said with maternal pride. So was Loulou de la Falaise.