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STORY: The unveiling of Hedi Slimane's debut collection for the iconic French house Yves Saint Laurent on Monday (October 1) at the sumptuous Grand Palais national monument was the hot ticket event of Paris Fashion Week, on par with the excitement surrounding the presentation of Raf Simon's first collection for Christian Dior last week.Top fashion editors, designers and celebrities including Salma Hayek all waited with baited breath to see Slimane's new vision for the storied brand, which was launched in Paris in 1961. The late Yves Saint Laurent is regarded as a fashion visionary. He is credited for elevating the trenchcoat and peacoat to high fashion status and introducing the idea of "pret-a-porter" into the style lexicon with the establishment of his Rive Gauche ready-to-wear line in 1966, in his attempt to democratize fashion.