“I’m very happy, ” Berge said of Slimane’s appointment. “Hedi Slimane has an enormous amount of talent, something that has been missing at the house of Yves Saint Laurent.”

Bergé made, and clearly continues to make, no secret of his dislike for Stefano Pilati while Saint Laurent was rolling over in his grave before he was even dead during Tom Ford‘s reign. Yet Slimane, who worked at YSL Rive Gauche Pour Homme from 1996 to 2000, has been welcomed back to the fold with open arms.

“Hedi is the only one belonging to the Saint Laurent family, my family, so you can imagine how happy and excited I am,” Catroux told WWD. “It will be easy for him as he has the same sensibility and aesthetic, and like Yves, he understands his times perfectly. I always dress as a boy, but I am sure he will find a new way to make girls magic again. Hedi will continue the spirit of Yves. He is the YSL of today, so everything is as it should be.”

Perhaps seeking inspiration from the spirit of Yves,  Slimane is reportedly working at the same studio as Mon. Saint Laurent before his first eponymous ready-to-wear collection in 1962. [WWD, sub req'd]

Confirming a week-old rumor — ancient history in the age of the status update — that the designer cum photographer would return to the house that Saint Laurent built nearly twelve years after departing for Dior Homme, YSL today announced Slimane’s appointment as its new creative director.

Slimane’s return is described as an attempt by PPR to “ramp up” YSL’s development in order to compete with Chanel and Christian Dior.

As a Frenchman and someone industry insiders feel “understands YSL better than anyone else,” Slimane is expected to be received better than the long-beleaguered Stefano Pilati.  Saint Laurent, when he was still living, openly derided the designer while his business and life partner, Pierre Bergé refused to even acknowledge Pilati’s existence.

Despite his standing as the preeminent menswear designer of the past decade, this will be Slimane’s first foray into womenswear — aside from some feminine suiting he did for the likes of Nicole Kidman and Madonna. Slimane’s designs under YSL will debut with the house’s resort collection this June.

The extent of Slimane’s control over the brand is as yet unknown but famous for his exacting standards, there’s bound to be some upheaval in the coming months. [WWD, sub req'd]

There’s nothing better than an unauthorized biography for all the most salacious gossip. Saint Laurent: Bad Boy by French journalist Marie-Dominique Lelièvre claims Saint Laurent was “frightfully unhappy” and “devoured by anxiety.” He would consume amphetamines and tranquilizers, sniff cocaine, take Valium and drink whiskey straight out of the bottle in an effort to deal with his success, something a friend alluded to as the “Judy Garland Syndrome.”

Some say Judy Garland Syndrome, I say “It’s called being a star.” And part of that star package is abusing those around you. “Several times, witnesses saw him lose his head and throw objects at people. His physical power was as great as his inner strength. Yves was an athlete as far as ashtraythrowing is concerned,”claims the bio.

Saint Laurent’s demons were allegedly rooted in his homosexuality and his insecurities surrounding it. “He had relationships with Arab boys in Algeria. People laughed at him at school, he was called a poof,” said Lelièvre. But wait, it gets better.  Yves would also prowl nightclubs in search of “savage and hazardous” sexcapades that would often land him in the hospital.

I’m assuming that means injuries suffered at the gruff hands of rough trade and not from the plethora of venereal diseases contracted in his practice.

Through it all, Pierre Bergé, his lifelong companion — who refused to support “a jumble of poorly verified gossip” and therefore did not take part in the bio — stood by his side. Bergé, however, is described as “a remedy and a poison” to YSL, who “chose as his partner a man who compensated for his weaknesses. In making himself indispensable, Bergé robbed Saint Laurent of his autonomy. He turned him into an assisted diva.”

Well, sometimes a diva needs  a little assistance getting out of her bed in the morning, or pouring her cocktail or smuggling her illegal amphetamines into the country. Is anything wrong with that? [Sunday Times, Daily Telegraph]

- After marrying David Lauren, son of iconic American designer Ralph Lauren, Lauren Bush will unfortunately not be known as Lauren Lauren. [Harper's Bazaar]

- A new documentary delves into the 50 year relationship between Yves Saint Laurent and his partner Pierre Bergé, told through the objects they collected together. Despite not believing in the souls of the objects — let alone of other people — Bergé remains sentimental like any old glorious queen…by selling them off. [NYT]

- 3 months after having a baby, Miranda Kerr is back in a bikini for Have Faith Swimwear. Yeah, I’d put down that pot brownie if I were you….

- Libelula, Sophie Cranston‘s label that allegedly designed Kate Middleton‘s wedding dress, has released an official denial, thus perpetuating the greatest mystery of our times. [WWD]

- Thierry Mugler, the man behind the Mugler magic, is now going by the name of Manfred these days and is serving as the artistic director for drag queen, Joey Arias. Meanwhile, his eponymous label is working with another famed drag queen, Lady Gaga. [Style.com]

- The VERY 90s black sports bra and white sweatpant Britney Spears wore for a Japanese commercial years ago when she still had her soul are being auctioned off to benefit Japan. [The Cut]

Pierre Berge put the designer’s Left Bank Paris apartment up for sale this week, for a mere $31.4 million. Seems like a small price to pay for such history.

LINK LOVE: NY Times

In September 2010, a documentary directed by Pierre Thoretton about the French designer Yves Saint Laurent and his boyfriend of 50 years, Pierre Bergé, will be released in NYC. The title is “Grand Amour,” which means Big Love! I can’t wait to watch it!

LINK LOVE: L’Express

Pierre Bergé, Yves Saint Laurent’s business and romantic partner for over 50 years, finally speaks about YSL’s struggle with depression:

“Sadly, Yves was not built for joy. He was an unhappy person who didn’t have a taste for life. Occasionally, he was happy, but life was difficult for him. The depression ran deep.” On his aesthetic, Bergé notes: “Saint Laurent detested fashion. Style is what he liked…Chanel may have given women liberty but Saint Laurent gave them power.”

LINKAGE: Telegraph