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
- Olive Calf French Jeweled BeltLocated in New York, NYDeep olive calf belt from the late 1980's with leather self covered buckle and aurora Swarovski triangular crystals applied. Belt is cut on the round so it molds to waist and upper h...Category
1980s French Belts
- Ungaro Suede and Calf Knotted BeltBy Emanuel UngaroLocated in New York, NYUngaro black belt with a faux knot effect in front. Half the belt is black suede and half is black calf, all piped in silver metallic leather. Interesting contrast of textures. Adjus...Category
1980s French Belts
- Lisandro Sarasola Extravagant Pieced BeltLocated in New York, NYLisandro Sarasola Extravagant Pieced Belt composed of paisley motifs which are overbeaded with lame cording, lame and applique. Bronze gold leather t...Category
1980s American Belts
- Saks Fifth Avenue Novelty Travel Motif BeltBy Saks Fifth AvenueLocated in New York, NYNovelty travel motif belt 1950s of black kid leather, with gilt filigree wording of European cities including Lisbon, Venice, London, Rome, and Paris . 1950's USA. 24"-24.5" belt l...Category
1950s American Belts
- Turquoise Cabochon Shell BeltLocated in New York, NYGilded mesh belt with large scallop shell buckle set with graduated turquoise glass cabochons. Belt 1.5" wide, buckle 3" Length: 27" and less adjus...Category
1960s French Belts
- GIANFRANCO FERRE Leather BeltBy Gianfranco FerréLocated in 'S-HERTOGENBOSCH, NLRare Gianfranco Ferre Belt. Gianfranco Ferré was an Italian fashion designer known for his elegant and sophisticated designs. He was often referred to as ...Category
1990s Italian Belts
- Chanel, Chain belt/necklace with rhinestone Camellia.By ChanelLocated in AMSTERDAM, NLChanel, Chain belt/necklace with rhinestone Camellia. This item is in very good condition and comes with the box. Could be worn as a belt, tip choker or as a bracelet. Four strand s...Category
Early 2000s Belts
- Gianni Versace 1990s zebra print metal belt with diamantesBy Gianni VersaceLocated in Nottingham, GBGianni Versace is know for his use of bold prints. This metal silver tone belt from his 1990s era highlights just what the designer i known for. The belt features 17 circular links w...Category
1990s Italian Belts
- SAINT LAURENT pale mint leather SKINNY WAIST Belt 75By Saint LaurentLocated in Zürich, CH100% authentic Saint Laurent thin belt in pale mint leather with a gold-tone metal buckle. Has been worn and is in excellent condition. Measurements Tag Size 75 Width 1.5cm (0.6in) ...Category
2010s Belts
- D&G DOLCE GABBANA Vintage Y2K pearl crystal embellishment chain Punk beltBy D&G by DOLCE & GABBANALocated in Hong Kong, NTD&G DOLCE GABBANA Vintage Y2K pearl crystal embellishment chain Punk belt Reference: ANWU/A00861 Brand: D&G Designer: Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana Material: Leather Color: Blac...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Belts
- AZZEDINE ALAIA white laser cut studded leather corset waist belt 70cmBy Azzedine AlaïaLocated in Hong Kong, NTAZZEDINE ALAIA white laser cut studded leather corset waist belt 70cm Reference: BSHW/A00139 Brand: Alaia Designer: Azzedine Alaia Material: Leather Color: White, Metallic Pattern: S...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian 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.