1970s Yves Saint Laurent YSL Green Wool Dress
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Length: 35.04 in (89 cm)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Altered (not by designer). In good vintage condition (please enlarge images to see all details on photos).
- Seller Location:Paris, FR
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU187218646962
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: Paris, France
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Emilio Pucci Blue Silk DressBy Emilio PucciLocated in Paris, FREmilio Pucci blue silk jersey printed dress featuring an iconic geometric print, a front gathered detail. Composition: 100% silk Estimated size IT42/38fr/US6 /UK10 Made in Italy. In...Category
1990s French Cocktail Dresses
- 2008 Chanel Navy Silk DressBy Karl Lagerfeld, ChanelLocated in Paris, FRChanel Navy silk dress featuring a detachable front bow, back neck slit, center back zip opening, with sides bra wires, full silk lining. Composition: 100% Silk Lining: 100% Silk C...Category
Early 2000s French Cocktail Dresses
- 1960s Maggy Rouff Pink Silk DressBy Maggy RouffLocated in Paris, FRMaggy Rouff pink silk dress featuring a white ribbon detail, a center back zip opening, a silk lining. Label: Maggy Rouff - 14 Avenue Montaigne Paris...Category
1960s French Cocktail Dresses
- 1980s Valentino Dots Silk DressBy ValentinoLocated in Paris, FRValentino silk dots dress featuring mousseline silk with 2 dots print sizes, a full silk lining, elasticated sleeves cuffs, side zip opening with small snaps, a separated belt Sepera...Category
1980s Italian Day Dresses
- Chanel Orange Sequin-Detailing Tweed Sleeveless DressBy ChanelLocated in Paris, FRChanel orange sequin-detailing tweed sleeveless dress featuring sequin detailing, concealed rear zip fastening, a round neck, cap sleeves, two front patch pockets and a thigh-length....Category
Early 2000s French Cocktail Dresses
- 1980 Iconic Yves Saint Laurent YSL Black Velvet DressBy Yves Saint LaurentLocated in Paris, FRYves Saint Laurent YSL black velvet dress featuring double layered silk satin ruffles around the faux-wrap style deep v neckline, and around the cuffs, shoulder pads inside uphold th...Category
1980s French Cocktail Dresses
- New Chanel Baby Pink Silver Studded Embellished Dress Size 38By ChanelLocated in Fort Lauderdale, FLThe ultimate in fashion making luxury craftsmanship. The Iconic House of Chanel always provides us with timeless and classic pieces. The beautiful dress takes timeless creation to a ...Category
2010s French Cocktail Dresses
- c. 1970s HALSTON Orange Matte Jersey Halter Dress with Matching JacketBy HalstonLocated in New York, NYc. 1970s HALSTON Orange Matte Jersey Halter Dress with Matching Jacket; Draped U-Neckline with Cowl Back; Rouleau Strap with Hook and Eye Closure; Slit at Center Front; Short Sleeve ...Category
1970s American Aesthetic Day Dresses
- ALAÏA 1990 black knitted mini dressBy Azzedine AlaïaLocated in Genève, CHAlaïa knitted mini dress with sheer raised edge skirt -Back closing with a hidden set zipper -Long sleeves -Nude knitted lining -Made in Italy -100% V...Category
1990s Italian Mini Dress
- ALBERTO BINI 1990 leather mini dress with gold tone Lion NEW with tagBy AlbertoLocated in Genève, CHThis vintage dress from Alberto Bini is coming directly from the 90s, and it's also a beautiful ode to Versace universe. -Lion detail in metal gold tone ...Category
1980s French Mini Dress
- D&G 90S gold spaghetti strap hand print Mini DressBy D&G by DOLCE & GABBANA, Dolce & GabbanaLocated in Genève, CHMiami club vibes! This dress speaks for itself and is just plain FUN. We love the curated color way, especially the pops of chartreuse, lilac and baby pink. A faux patent leather tr...Category
1990s Mini Dresses
- Moschino vintage dressBy MoschinoLocated in London, GBMoschino vintage dress Moschino archive vintage grommet lace-up bodice belted detail side zip condition: this item is a vintage/pre-worn piece so some signs of natural wear and a...Category
Early 2000s Casual Dresses
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.