International stars of fashion and film have attended the Paris funeral of legendary designer Yves Saint Laurent.

One of the 20th Century's greatest couturiers and credited with revolutionising women's wardrobes, he died on Sunday aged 71 of a brain tumour.

Long-time friend and fan Catherine Deneuve gave a reading during the service at the Saint-Roch church located near one of the French capital's most exclusive streets, the Rue Saint-Honore.

Deneuve was followed by Saint Laurent's long-time partner and business associate Pierre Berge, who said: "You could have slid into fashions at times, but instead you remained faithful to your own style, and you were quite right, for that style is now everywhere, perhaps not in fashion but in the streets of the whole world."

The service was attended by model Laetitia Casta, former supermodel Carla Bruni and her husband, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, and stars from the fashion world including Christian Lacroix, Jean-Paul Gaultier, John Galliano, Sonia and Nathalie Rykiel, Kenzo Takada and Valentino.

Notably absent was rival Karl Lagerfeld, "away on business," according to Chanel, and Pierre Cardin, also not in Paris.

In homage to Saint Laurent, YSL shops worldwide closed for two hours from 1.30pm UK time.

Saint Laurent was considered the last of a generation that included the fashion houses Christian Dior and Coco Chanel and made Paris the fashion capital of the world.

The oldest child of a rich French industrialist, Saint Laurent was born and grew up in Algeria, then a French colony, and showed an early talent for design, making clothes for his younger sisters' dolls.

After moving to Paris at the age of 17, he was hired by Christian Dior and soon became chief designer, producing a stream of acclaimed collections under the Dior label before striking out under his own name in 1962.

With Berge taking care of the management side, Saint Laurent built up the YSL brand into one of the world's most widely recognised fashion labels with hallmark designs like his women's tuxedo and trouser suits.

However, he struggled with alcohol and drug problems as well as ill health and he became disillusioned with the fashion scene after he retired from designing in 2002.

Saint Laurent's body is to be cremated and the ashes spread in the garden of his villa in the Moroccan city of Marrakesh.

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