Yves Saint Laurent Haute Couture Belt
About the Item
- Designer:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: S (US)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Material Notes:Silvered Copper, Bakelite
- Condition:Excellent.
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: AU10042546315
Yves Saint Laurent
French designer Yves Saint Laurent pioneered “cross-design” in fashion, taking inspiration from street trends to modernize haute couture.
Saint Laurent was the first to launch a ready-to-wear label, YSL Rive Gauche Prêt-à-Porter. He was the first couturier to open boutiques for both men and women. Using traditional menswear fabrics and designs for women, Saint Laurent also literally cross-dressed, giving men and women alike chic pant suits, elegant tuxedo jackets and urban safari gear.
By blurring gender-specific design, Saint Laurent empowered individual style while creating a scissor-sharp fashion aesthetic of sensual ease and beauty. Many of his designs are today considered timeless classics. Saint Laurent also consistently used Black models, like Mounia, Iman and Naomi Campbell, and he drew endless inspiration from different ethnicities and cultures, in no small part because of his Algerian roots.
Born to French parents in Oran, Algeria, in 1936, Saint Laurent went to Paris at age 17 to study fashion at the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture. Just two years later, in 1955, his remarkable sketches were shown to Christian Dior, then the world’s reigning couturier, who hired him immediately.
Surprisingly soon thereafter, Dior publicly chose Saint Laurent as his successor, which sadly proved prescient when the fashion legend died unexpectedly, in 1957. A mere slip of a youth, the 21-year-old Saint Laurent was nevertheless up to the challenge. He shook the traditional couture clientele to its core with youthful silhouettes and styles like the A-line trapeze dress that hung with seeming effortlessness from the shoulders, the antithesis of the pinched waists and molded skirts that had been all the rage after the deprivations of World War II.
After a mandated spell in the torturous French military, Saint Laurent suffered a nervous breakdown and was dismissed by Dior in 1962. Out of the ashes rose the Age of Yves. With Pierre Bergé, his then-lover who became his lifelong business partner and friend, the designer founded Yves Saint Laurent YSL to encompass prêt-à-porter, or ready-to-wear. In 1966, they opened the first YSL Rive Gauche women’s boutique in Paris, followed soon thereafter by YSL Rive Gauche for men. Saint Laurent had given birth to a global brand.
His revolutionary Mondrian mini dress from 1965 is a core element of his fashion biography. It is a prime example of how Saint Laurent, an avid art lover and collector, looked to painters, from Goya to Picasso, Ingres to Matisse, for inspiration.
With its pure lines and hues, Mondrian’s ground-breaking 1935 color-block painting Composition C transmutes beautifully into a dress that is highly valued by collectors of contemporary fashion and widely copied commercially to this day. The design is the epitome of Saint Laurent’s aesthetic, requiring a meticulous hand-piecing of each color block so that, despite the body’s curves, the visual plane is as flat as a canvas when the garment is worn. Mondrian’s purity met its match in Saint Laurent.
“I am no longer concerned with sensation and innovation, but with the perfection of my style,” Saint Laurent said four years before retiring, in 2002. After a long period of ill health, he died at his home in Paris on June 1, 2008.
Browse an extraordinary collection of vintage Yves Saint Laurent evening dresses, shirts, handbags and other clothing and accessories today on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: New York, NY
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Rare Kerr Art Nouveau Turtle BuckleBy KerrLocated in New York, NYRare Kerr Art Nouveau Turtle Buckle in the form of abstract turtles with whiplash designs, possibly seaweed, surrounding them. Done in the hollow, high...Category
1880s American Art Nouveau Belts
- Tiktiner Belt with Mesh Hip SwagBy TiktinerLocated in New York, NYFun 80's belt by Tiktiner, Paris in black leather with enamel mesh swag. 1980's France. 2" Width. Fits 26-30". Excellent condition.Category
1980s French Belts
- Gucci Gilt Horse Bit BeltBy GucciLocated in New York, NYLovely 1970s gilt metal horse bit belt by Gucci made with 9 stations. Each details rope and stirrup motif.
Excellent condition. Non adjustable wi...Category1970s Italian Belts
- Hermes Collier de Chien Ostrich BeltBy HermèsLocated in New York, NYAuthentic, elegant Hermes Collier de Chien Ostrich Belt from the 1980's. Exotic ostrich skin with polished gold palladium belt buckle accented by studs....Category
1980s French Belts
- Kerr Sterling Victorian Angel BuckleBy KerrLocated in New York, NYCharming Kerr Sterling Victorian Angel Buckle from the late 19th Century. High repousee angels motifs in scrollwork frames.. Signed with Kerr hallmark, Sterling. USA 1880's. 4" x 1.5".Category
1870s American Belts
- Gianni Versace Silk Scarf BeltBy Gianni VersaceLocated in New York, NYGianni Versace Silk Scarf Belt from the 1990's. A silk twill Versace scarf is folded on the bias and then leather belt tabs are added. They a...Category
1990s Italian Belts
- 1990's Versace Safety Pin BeltBy Gianni VersaceLocated in Glasgow, GBVintage Leather Gianni Versace safety pin belt. Black leather with silver toned buckle embossed with silver logo stamp featuring head of medusa...Category
1990s Italian Belts
- Kathrine Baumann Swarovski Moon Belt BuckleBy Kathrine Baumann Beverly HillsLocated in Scottsdale, AZAdd some GLAM to your belt buckle collection! Catch someone's attention from across the room with the sparkle. This intricate moon belt buckle is desi...Category
1990s American Belts
- Hermes Gris Etain/Noir Epsom And Chamonix Reversible Belt Strap 85 CMBy HermèsLocated in Dubai, Al Qouz 2The classic and one of the iconic styles from the house of Hermes is their belts which give this luxurious piece a multi-utility and versatile look. Crafted from leather, this belt s...Category
2010s French Belts
- Reem Acra Multicolor Lurex Jacquard & Faux Fur Beaded Heart Detail Waist Belt MBy Reem AcraLocated in Dubai, Al Qouz 2A statement belt for women by Reem Acra. The belt is made from a mix of materials into a striking design and decorated with an embellished heart motif. It is sized to comfortably fit...Category
2010s American Belts
- Hermes Blue Saphir/Izmir Epsom and Tadelakt Leather Reversible Belt Strap Size 1By HermèsLocated in Dubai, Al Qouz 2Made of leather, this Hermes belt strap comes in two tones to complement any outfit and buckle shape. It is made in France.Category
2010s Italian Belts
- Hermès White Epsom & Brick Swift Rivale 18 beltBy HermèsLocated in Bishop's Stortford, HertfordshireHermès White Epsom & Brick Swift Rivale 18 belt The exterior is in very good condition with minimal signs of use. The interior is in very good condition w...Category
2010s French Belts
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
How to Spot a Fake YSL Bag
Counterfeiters know that savvy fashionistas cherish YSL bags. Learn how to tell if yours is the real deal. Of course, you don't have to worry about that on 1stDibs, where every seller is highly vetted.
Quiet Luxury May Be Trending, but These Famous Interiors Prove That Quality and Quirk Endure
Because truly timeless design requires personal vision, transcendent taste, real fortitude and top-notch objects, even if the wider world hasn’t caught on yet.