Betty Catroux

She was born in Brazil in 1945, the only child of Carmen Saint, a Brazil-born French socialite, and Elim O'Shaughnessy (1907–1966), an American diplomat. The first four years of her life were spent in Brazil before her mother ended a short marriage with a Brazilian man and took her to Paris. She had an easy childhood due to her privileged upbringing. She did not know who her father was until the age of 12, when she discovered that her mother's "friend" was very similar to her in features. She asked her mother about the peculiar situation, to which Carmen confirmed her thoughts. Betty had a rough start in her late teens to early adult years, when she relied on drugs and alcohol to have a good time. She and Yves Saint Laurent, a long-time friend and partner in most activities, were notorious for drugs and partying . ==Modeling career==

Betty Catroux began her modeling career in the early sixties at the age of 17. The two were inseparable, spending the majority of their free time together. Catroux was a big name in the fashion world, despite her dislike for the industry. Yves Saint Laurent has called her his twin sister Tom Ford was so inspired by her that he dedicated his debut YSL Rive Gauche collection to her. When asked about her fashion sense, Catroux said that she has "dressed the same way practically since I was born. I don't dress as a woman. I'm not interested in fashion at all." gaunt features, and androgynous appearance. She has never much cared about her style, adopting an effortless, neither feminine nor masculine appearance. Fashion had always been gifted to her through her friendships. Saint Laurent's Le Smoking tuxedo for women, which was revolutionary in the world of style, made its debut on her. She has been in the spotlight wearing Yves Saint Laurent many times. ==Personal life==

Relationships with Loulou de la Falaise and Pierre Berge were also significant, as they were both figures in Catroux and Saint Laurent's lives. La Falaise was another of YSL's major muses. Quite the opposite of Catroux, she balanced out the light and the dark, "like a Devil and an Angel." In 1968, Betty Saint married French interior decorator François Catroux, a grandson of General Georges Catroux. The couple had two daughters: Maxime, a book editor at Flammarion, and Daphné, who is married to Count Charles-Antoine Morand. Her relationships with Daphne and Maxime were easy going and unconventional, according to Daphne. When not in Paris, François and Betty lived together at Les Ramades, a 16th-century stone house in the Lourmarins region of Provence, on 10 lush acres, which they bought in 1990. In an interview she said, "I did not have any activity, I am a person fully supported, maintained all my life. I do not work, I am a very exceptional case. I was so spoiled, without having any obligation except moral obviously. The only things I did were nice and fun." ==References==