GUY LAROCHE

At 15, he sold sketches at Yves Saint Laurent; at 17, he assisted Dorothée Bis. Guy Laroche studied ready-to-wear manufacturing in the United States and returned to Paris to open his first fashion house in 1957. Laroche—the king of Bermuda shorts and culottes—was among the first designers to create separates for women. In 1966, Laroche launched Fidji for women, followed by J'ai Ose in 1977 and the classic Drakkar Noir for men in 1982. Clandestine and Horizon colognes added to his respected cache. Laroche, passed away in 1989, but his highly-regarded fashion peers keep the Laroche brand alive for this simple, talented and unaffected Frenchman.