With esteemed fashion journalist and Saint Laurent expert Laurence Benaïm, Assouline has curated the 100 most iconic signature pieces from Yves Saint Laurent’s forty-year oeuvre, from the very first looks that appeared on the runway in his eponymous debut collection in January 1962 following his departure from Dior, to his final couture presentation upon his retirement in 2002. The best-selling addition to Assouline’s exclusive Ultimate Collection of handcrafted volumes, Yves Saint Laurent: The Impossible Collection spotlights all the classics: the Mondrian shift dress; the black dress with white collar and cuffs for the film Belle de Jour; the legendary Ballets Russes collection; the tributes to Picasso, Matisse and van Gogh; the tailored pantsuits and flowing “coup de crayon” draped gowns; the lavish use of velvet, lace, feathers, leopard print and brilliant jewel tones. Made in Italy. Complimentary white gloves and signature canvas tote bag are included with each purchase from Assouline's Ultimate Collection Journalist and writer Laurence Benaïm is the author of Yves Saint Laurent (Grasset, 1993), the biography of reference on the designer, with several updated reeditions. She has devoted several other works to the couturier, including Yves Saint Laurent: Naissance d’une légende (La Marinière, 2002), Requiem pour Yves Saint Laurent (Grasset, 2010) and Dior by Yves Saint Laurent (Assouline, 2017), in addition to Dior: La Révolution du New Look (Rizzoli, 2014) and Femmes en Dior: Portraits d’élégance (Rizzoli, 2015). Benaïm is also the author of the biographies Marie-Laure de Noailles: La Vicomtesse du bizarre (Grasset, 2001) and Jean-Michel Frank: Le Chercheur de silence (Grasset, 2017).