PARIS, June 2, 2008 (AFP) - Quotable quotes from Yves Saint Laurent, the French fashion designer who died Sunday June the 1st aged 71:

Yves Saint Laurent with Laetitia Casta and Catherine Deneuve during his last fashion show, in Paris in 2002 - Photo : AFP

"You have to regard every fashion with humour, to be above it, believe in it enough to give the impression of living it but not too much, so that you keep your freedom."

"The elegance of a line depends above all on the purity and refinement of its construction."

"Black is my refuge, it is a line on a blank sheet of paper."

"The silhouette counts more than anything. It should never be overloaded."

"I found my style through women. That's where its strength and vitality comes from, because I draw on the body of a woman."

"A woman who has not found her style, who does not feel at ease in her clothes, who does not live in harmony with them, is a sick woman."

"To be beautiful, all a woman needs is a black pullover and a black skirt and to be arm in arm with a man she loves."

"Is elegance not totally forgetting what one is wearing?"