You have to admire a man who, at age three, told his mother that her shoes did not go with her dress.

Yves Saint Laurent clearly found his calling, and, though I only met him casually on a couple of occasions, he was a giant on whose shoulders much of the industry has been able to stand.

One of YSL's signature contributions was to liberate women, in regard to acceptable ways of dressing at certain times of the day.

What were previously considered "men's" clothes (for example: pants, safari jackets, trench coats, and, in a boon for more than one female politician, pant suits), no longer were.

He is credited with democratizing fashion, not only in allowing much more haute couture to be purchased off the rack, but also in his having been the first designer to use black models on his runways.

Yves Saint Laurent taught us the value and merits of pushing the limits, in regard to not just how we live our lives, but "in what."

So as we reflect on his life, it is important we all "be aware" of this one man's impact on more than just "what you wear."

That's my story, and I'm sticking to it (for now).