Yves Saint Laurent by Alber Elbaz black ostrich feather top, fw 1999
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: Small - Medium (EU)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU140214814322
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: London, United Kingdom
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Balmain by Christophe Decarnin black leather safety-pin corset, ss 2011By BalmainLocated in London, GB▪ Balmain black leather safety-pin corset ▪ Designed by Christophe Decarnin ▪ Adorned with silver metal barbell piercings and safety-pins ▪ Patch...Category
2010s French Corsets
- Christian Dior by John Galliano burgundy pleated silk blouse, ss 1999By Christian Dior, John Galliano for Christian DiorLocated in London, GB▪ Christian Dior burgundy pleated blouse ▪ Designed by John Galliano ▪ Mandarin collar ▪ Cheongsam style ▪ Mariano Fortuny style pleats ▪ Gold lamé fastenings ▪ Beaded rope trim...Category
1990s French Blouses
- John Galliano gathered grey blouse, fw 1987By John GallianoLocated in London, GBJohn Galliano very early gathered grey blouse Fall-winter 1987 Measurements: Shoulder to shoulder 18" Waist 34" Bust 48" Length 39" Sleeve 27"Category
1980s British Blouses
- John Galliano navy pinstripe silk shirred blouse and fishtail skirt set, ss 2002By John GallianoLocated in London, GB▪ John Galliano navy and cream silk blouse and skirt set ▪ Deconstructed blouse with shirred detail ▪ Matching mid-length fishtail skirt with black cotton Broderie Anglaise trim at h...Category
Early 2000s French Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Gianni Versace black and white polkadot silk ruffled shirt dress, ss 1993By Gianni VersaceLocated in London, GBGianni Versace black and white polkadot printed silk shirt dress with ruffled trim. Spring-Summer 1993Category
1990s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Yohji Yamamoto black wool top made with bellow pockets, fw 1990By Yohji YamamotoLocated in London, GBYohji Yamamoto; Black wool top made with multiple large bellow pockets Fall-Winter 1990Category
1990s Japanese Blouses
- Dolce Gabbana 1992 bustier topBy Dolce & GabbanaLocated in Annandale, VADolce Gabbana rare 1992 bustier top Top size 42 Excellent vintage condition, no rips or stainsCategory
1990s Italian Blouses
- 1980s Escada Margaretha Ley Silk Animal Print Blouse & Brown Wrap Skirt w/ BeltBy Margaretha Ley Escada, EscadaLocated in Portland, ORThis is an incredible 2 piece Escada ensemble designed by Margaretha Ley in the 1980's. This outfit came from an estate of clothing we handled that included the best of the 1980's and many unique Escada pieces. This has a chocolate brown wool poly blend skirt that wraps to close with a button and an attached belt with a buckle. It is gently pleated and is labeled a size 34. The yellow and brown textured silk animal print blouse...Category
1980s German Blouses
- S/S 1997 Gucci by Tom Ford Beige Navy Sheer Ombré Silk Button Up Plunge TopBy Gucci, Tom Ford for GucciLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting a beautiful sheer ombré Gucci shirt, designed by Tom Ford for the Spring/Summer 1997 collection. The button closure stops about halfway up the front for a plunging necklin...Category
1990s Italian Blouses
- Giambattista Valli Grey & Black Silk Animal Print Top - 44By Giambattista ValliLocated in West Palm Beach, FLGiambattista Valli Grey & Black Silk Animal Print Top - 44. This blouse is in excellent condition with very light wear. This flowy top features slight pleats...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Blouses
- Diane Von Furstenberg Blue Sequin Loose Blouse - 6By Diane von FurstenbergLocated in West Palm Beach, FLDiane Von Furstenberg Blue Sequin Loose Blouse - 6. This blouse is in very good condition and is a unique, gorgeous piece. The main tag is gone and there is a small hole in the fabri...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Blouses
- Oscar de la Renta Navy Silk Long Sleeve Blouse - 16By Oscar De La RentaLocated in West Palm Beach, FLOscar de la Renta Navy Silk Long Sleeve Blouse - 16. This piece is in excellent condition and is a staple piece. It has one slight pull on the back towards the top. It features a cow...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Blouses
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.