Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche Black Beret with Knit Ball
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. In excellent vintage condition.
- Seller Location:Los Angeles, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU48921192
Yves Saint Laurent
French fashion 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, 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, 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.
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: Los Angeles, CA
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Patricia Underwood Black Mongolian Lamb HatBy Patricia UnderwoodLocated in Los Angeles, CAThis Patricia Underwood hat is composed of an ultra supple Mongolian lamb. Measures (Approximately) Circumference: 22.5" Width: 9" Depth: 7"Category
20th Century Unknown Hats
- Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche Purple and Green Silk Rouched Hat with BowBy Yves Saint LaurentLocated in Los Angeles, CAThis Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche hat is composed of a purple and green striped silk. The hat features a rouched detail and bow. In excellent vintage condition, the black bow has f...Category
20th Century French Hats
- Yvonne California Black Pin Stripe Hat with Bow and Mesh DetailLocated in Los Angeles, CAThis Yvonne California hat is composed of a black material and features pin stripe stitch detailing. The hat is adorned with mesh and a bow. In excellent condition, the interior of t...Category
20th Century American Hats
- James Galanos Black Felt Cloche Hat, Turban StyleBy James GalanosLocated in Los Angeles, CAMeasurements: 22 3/4" (size 7 1/4) 8 3/4" HighCategory
1960s American Hats
- Hattie Carnegie Brown Fur Felt Split Brim HatBy Hattie CarnegieLocated in Los Angeles, CAThis is a great Hattie Carnegie design. The hat is composed of brown fur felt and features a split brim along with a wonderful accent of dotted netting. The netting does have a few s...Category
1940s Italian Hats
- CHRISTINE Vintage 1950's Black Dyed Goose Feather and Sheared Beaver HatLocated in Los Angeles, CACHRISTINE Vintage 1950's Black Dyed Goose Feather and Sheared Beaver Hat. Iconic 1950s Look that trancences contemporary fashion. In excellent vintage cond...Category
1950s American Hats
- Rare Vintage Chanel Runway PVC Wide Brimmed HatBy Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld for ChanelLocated in Fort Lauderdale, FLThe ultimate in accessories making luxury craftsmanship. The Iconic House of Chanel always provides us with timeless and classic pieces. This beautiful hat takes timeless creation to a new level of sophistication and charm. Made from the finest materials that you would expect from the Chanel House. This rare runway hat...Category
Early 2000s German Hats
- Masion Michel André Hat size MLocated in Toronto, CAStylish Design: The Rollable Fedora Hat by Maison Michel André is designed to effortlessly blend fashion and functionality. The timeless fedora silhouette, with its pinched crown and...Category
2010s Hats
- CHRISTIAN DIOR black linen 2019 BERET Hat One SizeBy Christian DiorLocated in Zürich, CH100% authentic Christian Dior beret hat in black linen (90%) and nylon (10%). The design has a elastic band and is embellished with the DIOR logo in ant...Category
2010s Unknown Hats
- CHANEL black 2022 22V FAUX PEARL Hair Tie Scrunchie A63896By ChanelLocated in Zürich, CH100% authentic Chanel 2022 faux pearl hair tie in black and pearl. Has been worn and is in excellent condition. Measurements Model Chanel22V A63896 Inside...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Hats
- CHANEL black rabbit fur FELT Hat MBy ChanelLocated in Zürich, CH100% authentic Chanel felt hat in black rabbit fur (100%) with silk satin ribbon and silver-tone CC. Has been worn and is in excellent condition. Measurements Tag Size M All our li...Category
2010s Unknown Hats
- MAISON MICHEL black wool felt KIKI Hat LBy Maison MichelLocated in Zürich, CH100% authentic Maison Michel Kiki hat in black wool felt (100%) with dark brown and ivory grosgrain ribbon. Has been worn and is in excellent condition. Measurements Tag Size L Insi...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Hats
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.