French president mourns YSL at Paris funeral

France's President Nicolas Sarkozy (R) and wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy offer condolences to Pierre Berge (L) as they arrive at the funeral service for fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent in Paris June 5, 2008.[Agencies]

Hailed as one of the great couturiers of the 20th century, Saint Laurent was part of a distinguished line of French designers from Coco Chanel to Christian Dior who consolidated the reputation of Paris as the fashion capital of the world.

A shy and reclusive figure in his later years with few close friends, his rank in the fashion world could nonetheless be gauged from the array of celebrities at Saint Roch, a church traditionally associated with artists and musicians.

Screen legend Jeanne Moreau joined the mourners, along with some of the models he dressed, including Claudia Schiffer and Laetitia Casta, and leading designers Christian Lacroix, John Galliano, Vivienne Westwood and Jean-Paul Gaultier.