1980s Yves Saint Laurent/YSL Black Quilted Velvet Coat
About the Item
- Designer:
- Dimensions:Length: 45 in (114.3 cm)Bust: 38 in (96.52 cm)Waist: 45 in (114.3 cm)Hip: 45 in (114.3 cm)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Toronto, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU228210707852
Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche
Visionary French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent was the first to launch a ready-to-wear label, YSL Rive Gauche Prêt-à-Porter. The inaugural Rive Gauche boutique — a modern shop in Paris’s bustling, bohemian Left Bank district — offered stylish garments and accessories that were intended to be affordable for a younger generation of fashion enthusiasts. The store featured Mies van der Rohe chairs and played host to actor Catherine Deneuve during its grand opening.
Saint Laurent pioneered “cross-design” in fashion, taking inspiration from street trends to modernize haute couture. He was the first couturier to open boutiques for both men and women. Using traditional menswear fabrics and designs for women, he also literally cross-dressed, giving men and women alike chic pant suits, elegant tuxedo jackets and urban safari gear. By blurring gender-specific design, he 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 — Rive Gauche is French for “left bank” — followed soon thereafter by YSL Rive Gauche for men. Ready-to-wear materialized during a period of dynamic transformation and experimentation and came to dominate the Paris fashion scene. 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.
The vintage YSL Rive Gauche clothing for sale on 1stDibs includes evening dresses and gowns, jackets, shoes, handbags and other items.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Toronto, Canada
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 1 day of delivery.
- 1990s Christian Lacroix Navy Blue Double Breasted Blazer with CrestBy Christian LacroixLocated in Toronto, Ontario1990s Christian Lacroix double breasted blazer. Navy blue wool with large engraved gold tone metal buttons. Notched collar and three patch pockets. Pocket on left bust features a French themed heart shaped appliqué crest...Category
1990s French Blazers
- 1990's Matsuda Ladies Grey Pin Stripe BlazerBy Mitsuhiro MatsudaLocated in Toronto, OntarioJapanese legendary designer Matsuhiro Matsuda grey wool pinstripe 5 button ladies blazer from the 1990's. Matsuda found success by interpreting classic ...Category
1990s Japanese Blazers
- Early 1990's Matsuda Black Jacket with Embroidered CollarBy Mitsuhiro MatsudaLocated in Toronto, OntarioMatsuda black gabardine fitted jacket with detachable collar. Circa early 90's, very good vintage condition. Detailed embroidery on v-shaped removable collar with ornate matching but...Category
1990s Japanese Single-Breasted Jackets
- 1990s Balmain Brown Leather and Fur Coat with RhinestonesBy BalmainLocated in Toronto, Ontario1990s Balmain short brown coat. Dark brown matte leather with dark brown fur collar, cuffs and lining. Polished brown leather trim detail creates a contrast in texture and is embelli...Category
1990s French Jackets
- 1990s Gianfranco Ferre Black Blazer with Baroque Pearl & Gold ChainBy Gianfranco FerréLocated in Toronto, Ontario1990s Gianfranco Ferre double breasted black wool blazer. Features long gold tone, rhinestone and pearl chain with large teardrop shaped Baroque pearl that fastens at left side of th...Category
1990s Italian Blazers
- 1990s Christian Lacroix Grey Wool and Mohair Floral JacketBy Christian LacroixLocated in Toronto, OntarioChristina Lacroix wool and mohair blend double breasted jacket from the 1990s. Dark grey with shades of paler grey in an all over floral print. Large notched collar, large gold tone ...Category
1990s French Jackets
- Issey Miyake black nylon oversized parachute coat, fw 1987By Issey MiyakeLocated in London, GBIssey Miyake; Black nylon oversized parachute coat with batwing sleeves and two front pockets Fall-Winter 1987Category
1990s Japanese Jackets
- F/W 2000 Roberto Cavalli Python Leather Fur Biker Jacket Python Accents VintageBy Roberto CavalliLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting this extravagant Roberto Cavalli biker jacket. This piece features black leather, python, fur, and pony hair working in harmony. The jacket debuted on look 34 on the Rober...Category
Early 2000s Italian Jackets
- S/S 1997 Gucci by Tom Ford Leather Sleeveless Top G LogoBy Gucci, Tom Ford for GucciLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting a rare leather tank top by Tom Ford for Gucci. This piece and features the classic Tom Ford 'G' medallion that was heavily featured in the ...Category
1990s Italian Tank Tops
- Thom Browne Grey XS Velvet Collar Classic Chesterfield Overcoat Jacket CoatBy Thom BrowneLocated in Downey, CAThom Browne Grey XS Velvet Collar Classic Chesterfield Overcoat Jacket Coat This classic Thom Browne wool peacoat is a timeless investment piece for you wardrobe. Crafted out of a p...Category
2010s Italian Overcoats
- Thom Browne Blue XS Classic Chesterfield FW18 Cavalry Twill Overcoat Jacket CoatBy Thom BrowneLocated in Downey, CAThom Browne Blue XSClassic Chesterfield FW18 Cavalry Twill Overcoat Jacket Coat This classic Thom Browne wool peacoat is a timeless investment piece for...Category
2010s Italian Overcoats
- Supreme X the North Face SS2012 Venture Map Windbreaker Jacket Size LBy SupremeLocated in Downey, CASupreme X the North Face SS2012 Venture Map Windbreaker Jacket Size L One of Supreme's earliest collaborations with The North Face, this windbreaker is a classic staple for any active wear...Category
2010s Italian Jackets