Haute couture dress from the Mondrian collection (autumn/winter 1965) [Photo/Fondation Pierre Bergé–Yves Saint Laurent, Paris/Alexandre Guirkinger]

1965: Tribute to Mondrian collection

1966: Pop Art collection; first tuxedo; first see-through garments (the "nude look"); discovers Marrakech, Morocco with Bergé and buys Dar el Hanch (House of the Serpent) in the Medina; opens first Rive Gauche boutique at 21 Rue de Tournon

1967: African collection; publishes La Vilaine Lulu ("Naughty Lulu"); dresses Catherine Deneuve for Luis Bu?uel’s film Belle de Jour

1968: First safari suit; first jumpsuit

1971: Launches Rive Gauche perfume for women; poses nude for photographer Jeanloup Sieff to promote Pour Homme, his first eau de toilette for men

1974: The fashion house moves to 5 Avenue Marceau

1977: Chinese Girls collection

1982: Receives the International Award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America

1983:Yves Saint Laurent: 25 Years of Creation opens at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, curated by Diana Vreeland

1985: Retrospective at the National Art Gallery in Beijing

1988: Creates embroidered jackets based on Van Gogh's Sunflowers and Irises

1993: With Bergé, sells the Yves Saint Laurent Group to Elf Sanofi, but the couple retain ownership of the couture house

1998: Stops designing ready-to-wear collections for Rive Gauche; Alber Elbaz named artistic director of ready-to-wear for women and Hedi Slimane for men

1999: Elf Sanofi sells the Yves Saint Laurent Group to the Pinault-Printemps-Redoute Group, but is still managed by Bergé and Saint Laurent; Tom Ford replaces Elbaz and Slimane as artistic director of ready-to-wear

2002: Bids farewell to couture; the fashion house closes; the Fondation Pierre Bergé–Yves Saint Laurent is recognised as a non-profit organisation

2008: Dies in his Paris home at the age of 71