In fashion, there is only one Yves Saint Laurent. Few designers are revered quite like him, and his legacy has only grown all the greater since his passing in 2008. This fall, for example, not one but two new museums opened in his honor, one in Paris and the other in Marrakech. There are numerous documentaries and books and, now, a new tome dedicated to his couture accessories. Published by Phaidon, Yves Saint Laurent Accessories is a comprehensive dive into his handbag, jewelry, hat and shoe designs. Each page is an inspiring discovery — and not just when it comes to the stunning visuals, which include sketches, intimate portraits, Polaroids and advertising. Author Patrick Mauriès offers some real insight and context in his accompanying text. Here, we compiled our favorite Saint Laurent musings to spark your own creativity and imagination…

“One can never overstate the importance of accessories. They are what turns a dress into something else. I like dresses to be sober and accessories to be wild.”

“Above all I love the rigor, the simplicity, the beauty of the classical, but my fantasy, my wild imagination sometimes pushes me towards the baroque, the strange.”

“My accessories are all to do with gestures: scarves that give one something to play with, bags with shoulder straps that leave one’s hands free, flexible belts — made of chain, of course — that let the hips sway nicely.”

“I grew up in a generation and a world of elegance. Tradition still flickered! And yet at the same time I wanted to transform it. One is caught between the past holding you, and the future pushing you. It’s why I am split in two. And I always will be. Because I knew one world and felt the other.”