THE air is thick with gossip at Parisian ''soirees'' these days and the topic of conversation is invariably the same: the new no-holds-barred biography of fashion genius Yves Saint Laurent, in which he candidly discusses his homosexuality and abuse of drugs and alcohol.
''I guess everyone is talking about it, which is not something I expected,'' said Laurence Benaim, the 31-year-old journalist who spent two years researching and writing Yves Saint Laurent.
''To me, it is Saint Laurent who is important, and his vision. It is not all the sensationalism.'' Perhaps by virtue of the subject matter, Ms Benaim has inadvertently caused a stir. Her 470-page book is highly detailed, thoroughly researched and written in a style that is bright and fluid. In French, it will be shown at the Frankfurt Book Fair, and translated versions for the English-speaking world will hopefully be released next year.
But the scores of people who have been buying the book since its release in Paris two weeks ago are equally intrigued by the mysterious and elusive Saint Laurent - icon of the French fashion world and considered one of the greatest designers of his time.
Ms Benaim, who contributes to the French newspaper Le Monde and the fashion magazine Vogue, admitted she was one of Saint Laurent's greatest fans - which occasionally made working on the more intrusive parts of the book somewhat disconcerting.
Her fascination with the designer began in March 1987, she said, when she first attended a Saint Laurent ready-to-wear show.