August 1936 : Birth of Yves Henri Donat Mathieu-Saint-Laurent in Oran, Algeria.
1955 : St Laurent hired by Christian Dior as a design assistant; he becomes chief designer three years later following Dior's sudden death.
January 1958 : St Laurent presents his first couture collection for Dior.
January 1962 : St Laurent presents his first couture collection under his own name.
1964 : Launch of the house's signature fragrance for women, .
1966 : His first smoking is shown in the January couture collection and later that year, the designer opens his Rive Gauche boutique in Paris; there are now 120 such stores worldwide. 1968 : Model Danielle causes a stir at the spring couture collection when she appears naked beneath a top of silk chiffon trimmed with ostrich feathers. Rive Gauche opens in New York.
1969 : The first men's Rive Gauche range appears; there are now 10 such men's shops worldwide. Rive Gauche opens in London. 1971 : St Laurent is photographed nude for his first men's fragrance. The Rive Gauche perfume for women is launched.
1974 : St Laurent's company moves to its present headquarters on the Avenue Marceau in Paris. 1975 : Eau Libre, a fragrance for men and women is launched but fails to find a market.
1976 : St Laurent enjoys one of the greatest successes of his career with the Ballets Russes collection inspired by the designs of Leon Bakst.
1977 : The launch of Opium, a perfume whose name caused an international furore; demand was so high that it outstripped supply. Opium remains one of the world's bestselling fragrances.
1978 : YSL cosmetics first appear with the No.19 purple lipstick becoming a cult hit.
1981 : Le smoking becomes a regular feature of St Laurent's collections. Launch of Kouros, a new scent for men.
1982 : St Laurent celebrates 20 years of his own business with a gala at the Lido in Paris.
1983 : To mark the launch of his new women's perfume Paris, St Laurent creates a special "Noire et Rose" couture collection. The Metropolitan Museum in New York hosts a retrospective exhibition of the designer's work organised by Diana Vreeland.
1985 : St Laurent is made a Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur. The retrospective exhibition, seen by one million people in New York, travels to Beijing before coming to Paris the following year and thence to Sydney and St Petersburg
1988 : Jazz, a new men's fragrance is launched.
1989 : The YSL group is valued at US$500 million after going public on the Paris stock market.
1992 : The group celebrates its 30th anniversary with a gala at the Opera de Bastille.
1993 : St Laurent presents a couture collection dedicated to the late Rudolf Nureyev. The initial launch of a new Champagne fragrance is disrupted by wine growers who object to the name; eventually, after legal action, this is changed to Yvresse.
1994 : American designer Ralph Lauren is successfully sued for allegedly copying a St Laurent tuxedo dress first designed in 1970. 1995 : Opium for Men launched.
1996 : Shortly before celebrating his 60th birthday, St Laurent received enthusiastic reviews for his latest couture collection. 1998 : Yves St Laurent marks 40 years as a designer.