Pierre Berge, the business partner and lover for many years of fashion designer Yves St Laurent, has died.
Born 14 November 1930 10.30am on Ile d’Oleron, France, he met YSL when he was 28 and for four decades his commercial talents made them both fabulously rich. The relationship was always fraught since YSL was manic-depressive and had a drink problem. Berge rescued Yves from National Service where he suffered a nervous breakdown, sued Dior, his previous employer who refused to take him back, and with the money set up an independent ready-to-wear boutique – and they never looked back. The romantic relationship broke up but they remained close and just before Yves’ death they contracted a civil partnership.
Berge was a determined Sun Mercury in Scorpio trine a super-confident Jupiter Pluto in Cancer (the favourite fashion sign); even better he had an entrepreneurial, inspirational Fire Grand Trine of Mars in flamboyant Leo trine Venus in colourful Sagittarius trine Uranus in Aries. He had Mars, Moon, Neptune in the 8th house of joint business finances, so good at handling money, if not always straightforward about his dealings.
Yves St Laurent was born 1 August 1936 7.45pm Oran, Algeria. He had his Sun, Venus and Mercury in entertaining Leo, though his truly difficult Mars Pluto in Cancer opposed a Capricorn Moon, so he would be subject to rages. It would have been a high-octane relationship since Berge’s Jupiter Pluto was conjunct YSL’s angst-ridden Mars Pluto. But Berge would infuse him with confidence and was strong enough to withstand his storms of creative and emotional fury. Berge’s Moon Neptune fell in YSL’s 7th for a supportive, sympathetic partnership; with Berge’s Venus conjunct YSL’s MC giving him PR skills and an outlet for his artistic talent; and Berge’s Mars was conjunct YSL’s Sun so he’d motivate YSL, no doubt through endless arguments.
Their relationship chart had a mutually supportive composite Sun, Jupiter, Mercury (Venus) conjunction, so a successful combination for both.