Vintage 1978 Yves Saint Laurent YSL Haute Couture Ivory Print Silk Dress & Shawl
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Length: 46 in (116.84 cm)Bust: 38 in (96.52 cm)Waist: 28 in (71.12 cm)
- Style:1970s (Of the Period)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Material Notes:Silk
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Beverly Hills, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU3092566903
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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Beverly Hills, CA
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Vintage 1978 Yves Saint Laurent Haute Couture Ivory Red Print Silk Dress & ShawlBy Yves Saint LaurentLocated in Beverly Hills, CAGorgeous Yves Saint Laurent ivory dotted red-clover print silk dress ensemble from his 1978 spring/summer collection. Such a rarity to find all three pieces together! The dress is so chic with the shoulder buttons and short puff-sleeves. I adore the matching ruffle-trim shawl wrap which is a stunning statement piece on it's own. The flattering nipped waist sash...Category
1970s French Aesthetic Day Dresses
- Vintage 1968 Gucci Couture Cotton-Pique Striped Ivory Pink Mod Mini Tunic DressBy GucciLocated in Beverly Hills, CAEarlier Gucci garments are very hard to come by and this mini dress is breathtaking. As shown, this design from their 1968 collection came in logo, floral ...Category
1960s Italian Aesthetic Evening Dresses
- Vintage 1990s Zandra Rhodes Sheer Black Tulle Bare Shoulder Tassel High-Low GownBy Zandra RhodesLocated in Beverly Hills, CABrreathtaking Zandra Rhodes black gothic evening gown dating back to the early 1990's. Zandra Rhodes was one of the British designers who put London at the forefront of the internati...Category
1990s English Aesthetic Evening Dresses
- Vintage 1950's Plaid Print Cotton Strapless Shelf-Bust Bustle Full Dress & ShawlLocated in Beverly Hills, CAIn this gorgeous 1950's graphic plaid party dress ensemble, the detailed construction and meticulous attention to detail are comparable to what you will find in modern couture. This ...Category
1950s American Aesthetic Evening Dresses
- Vintage 1960's Malcolm Starr Beaded Ivory Chiffon Empire Goddess Bridal GownBy Malcolm Starr, Elinor Simmons for Malcolm StarrLocated in Beverly Hills, CAWith the sparkling embellishment and ethereal ivory creme color, this dazzling 1960's Malcolm Starr evening gown does not disappoint. The substantial weight of the draped silk chiffon fabric whispers high-end luxury. The bodice is an elegant shelf-bust empire plunge with sparkling adornment. Metallic gold embroidery and beadwork cover the whole bust; giving the garment so much depth and texture. This figure flattering designer gown...Category
1960s American Wedding Dresses
- Vintage 1986 Travilla Couture Whitney Houston Design Blue One-Shoulder Silk GownBy William Travilla, TravillaLocated in Beverly Hills, CABreathtaking 1986 Travilla Couture blue silk-jersey goddess gown which happened to also be Whitney Houston's choice design for the 28th Grammy Awards where she won for best female vo...Category
1980s American Aesthetic Evening Dresses
- 1920s Vintage Dress in Ivory Silk With Pink Embroidery and TopstitchingLocated in Portland, ORThis is a beautiful ivory silk vintage dress from the late 1920's. The dress is sleeveless, with a pink silk braided tie at the neck and it is decorated with gorgeous pink embroidery...Category
1920s Unknown Day Dresses
- Jiki Monte Carlo Creations Off White Lace Maxi Shift DressBy Jiki Monte CarloLocated in West Palm Beach, FLJiki Monte Carlo Creations off white lace maxi shift dress. Sleeveless, jewel neck maxi dress of off white textured lace, trimmed in off white satin. ...Category
20th Century French Maxi Dresses
- Valentino 18 white aztec leopard print crepe cady low cut silk gown dress IT 38By ValentinoLocated in Paris, FRValentino Resort 2018 floor length dress in leopard print motif developed in collaboration with artist Sandra Rhodes Print in Burgundy, pink and green...Category
2010s Italian Maxi Dresses
- Lanvin white grecian style washed silk crystal embellished wedding dress gownBy Lanvin ParisLocated in Paris, FRLanvin Paris Collection Blanche Resort 2011 A beautiful floor length grecian style loose fitting ivory gown with crystal embellished waist band that would w...Category
2010s Wedding Dresses
- S/S 2012 look #27 VERSACE WHITE STUDDED EMBELLISHED LEATHER DRESS 38 - 2By VersaceLocated in Montgomery, TXVERSACE Actual runway sample Spring/Summer look # 27 (Has a minor sings of wear on the lining) Embellished Leather Dress Sleeveless Knee length Content: 100% leather armpi...Category
2010s Italian Casual Dresses
- Roberto Cavalli cream and purple brocade-print silk corset mini dress, fw 2004By Roberto CavalliLocated in London, GB▪ Roberto Cavalli silk corseted strapless mini dress ▪ cream, purple and metallic gold brocade printed silk ▪ Corseted bodice with asymmetric ruching and tucking ▪ Ruffled mini sk...Category
Early 2000s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
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.