Saint Laurent Black Leather Tassel Mini Dress
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: 34 (EU)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU3909222736152
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. Under creative director Hedi Slimane, the house’s ready-to-wear collection was rebranded as Saint Laurent in 2012.
Browse an extraordinary collection of vintage 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.
- Dior x John Galliano Fall 2005 Floral Silk Puff Ball DressBy John Galliano for Christian Dior, Christian DiorLocated in London, GBAbsolutely divine, super collectible vintage Dior dress from John Galliano's Fall 2005 collection. Look 40 on the runway. In amazing unworn condition. Made from gorgeous orchid print...Category
Early 2000s French Casual Dresses
- Prada SS09 Crinkle Collection Pearl Satin DressBy Miuccia Prada, PradaLocated in London, GBBeautiful archival Prada dress from the iconic SS09 ‘crinkled’ collection - unworn with tags. Made from pink tinged (official colour is Lavanda) creamy crinkled acetate mix satin wi...Category
Early 2000s Unknown Cocktail Dresses
- Roberto Cavalli Black Knit & Lace DressBy Roberto CavalliLocated in London, GBGorgeous black dress from Roberto Cavalli - new with tag. Made from super soft and stretchy black viscose mix knit with ladder panelling and soft lace detailing. Has a softly tailore...Category
2010s Unknown Cocktail Dresses
- Isabel Marant Blaine Floral Stretch Silk DressLocated in London, GBGorgeous Isabel Marant Blaine floral stretch-silk dress. Bought for £1250 and new with tag. Made from red hued floral stretch silk with elastane. It has Marant’s signature cool girl...Category
2010s Italian Aesthetic Day Dresses
- Rodarte pink silk corsage embellished slip dressBy RodarteLocated in London, GBSlinky Rodarte corsage embellished slip dress. Bought for £825 and unworn. Made from floral printed candy pink silk with a super flattering bias cut and delicate spaghetti straps. It...Category
2010s Italian Aesthetic Day Dresses
- Giambattista Valli Spring 2019 Floral Silk DressBy Giambattista ValliLocated in London, GBHyper feminine Giambattista Valli floral silk dress from the Spring 2019 collection. Bought for £2950 and unworn. Made from the most stunning multi toned floral silk chiffon with a f...Category
2010s Unknown Aesthetic Day 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
- Vintage 1950's Silk Velvet and Satin pink floral dress satin dress UK 8 US 4Located in Cheltenham, GBA gem to behold, this original 1950's satin dress, in shades of pink and red accented by silk velvet flocking details, in a pattern of wild daisies, is just the perfect piece for you...Category
1950s Cocktail Dresses
- Vintage 1930's Silk Devore burnout dress original 1930's amber dress UK 8 US 4Located in Cheltenham, GBThis breathtaking 1930's silk dress in a burnout devoré pattern in shades of amber and spice set against a black silk base, is a rare piece to behold. The rounded neckline is frame...Category
1930s Cocktail Dresses
- BALLY Gray RARE Sleeveless Dress Italy 4/38By BallyLocated in Asheville, NCBally, Made in Italy, Size US 4, Sack Style Bottom at Back, Grosgrain Ribbon Tie, Stitched Details, 70% Viscose, 30% Polyamid Measurements Laying Flat (Has Stretch): Bust Free (Blou...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mini Dresses
- Vintage JAMS WORLD Colorful Woman Roses Art ARCHIVE Rayon Dress S/M RARELocated in Asheville, NCJams World, Excellent Graphics, Zipper on Back, Back Slit (5"), No Size or Care Tag Measurements Laying Flat: Bust 18" Waist 15" Hips 19.5" Length 34" (at shoulder)Category
Late 20th Century Mini Dresses
- DYED PETALS Vintage Botanically Tie-Dyed 60's Upcycled Dress XS/SLocated in Asheville, NCThe DYED PETALS Collection (vintage, upcycled, and custom-made fashion using natural dyes and colorants), is designed and offered exclusively by PARPARIAN....Category
Mid-20th Century Maxi 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.
This Golden Saint Laurent Handbag Feels Like a Disco-Era Throwback (in the Best Way Possible)
If you're looking for an accessory that brings the party, this is it.