1979 Yves Saint Laurent Documented Silk Seashell Print Jacket
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Length: 21 in (53.34 cm)Marked Size: 4-6 (US)Bust: 34 in (86.36 cm)Waist: 32 in (81.28 cm)Hip: 32 in (81.28 cm)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU55016280072
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: London, United Kingdom
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 7 days of delivery.
- 1980s Alaia Black Long Sleeve BodysuitBy Azzedine AlaïaLocated in London, GBThis is a super sassy and figure hugging Alaia long sleeve blended knit bodysuit from the renowned 1989 collection. The top section has a high neck ...Category
1980s French Loungewear
- 1990s Escada Navy Embroidered Fruit Salad TopBy EscadaLocated in London, GBThis is a really fun 1990s piece by Escada when they were very high profile and considered a luxury brand. The novelty 'fruit salad' design is of embroidered motifs that represent st...Category
1990s Italian Blouses
- 1970s Travers Tempos Flock-Cotton Floral Oversized BlouseLocated in London, GBThis collectable Travers Tempos top originates from the very late 1960s or early 1970s at the height of the London Fashion scene of the swinging 60s. An oversized style featuring a v...Category
1970s British Blouses and Tops
- 1980s Halston Black Label Iridescent Beaded Tunic with BeltBy HalstonLocated in London, GBThis magnificent Halston black label top is from one of his mainline collections circa 1980 - 1984. This period was amongst the most opulent for the designer and many of his designs...Category
1980s American Blouses
- 1940s Black and Gold Lame BlouseLocated in London, GBThis is an original 1940s black crepe blouse with a striking metallic gold swirl design. One of the best cocktail separates we've ever had, with a dropped shoulder, a gentle draping ...Category
1940s American Blouses
- 1980s Jean Muir Grey Silk Batwing BlouseBy Jean MuirLocated in London, GBThis 1980s Jean Muir batwing blouse is crafted from an incredibly soft silk, in a lovely deep gunmetal grey colour. It has shoulder padding to create a more structured silhouette and...Category
1980s British Blouses and Tops
- S/S 1997 Gucci by Tom Ford Leather Sleeveless Top G LogoBy Gucci, Tom Ford for GucciLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting a rare leather tank top by Tom Ford for Gucci. This piece and features the classic Tom Ford 'G' medallion that was heavily featured in the ...Category
1990s Italian Tank Tops
- S/S 1993 Dolce & Gabbana Patchwork Button Up Bohemian VestBy Dolce & GabbanaLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting a patchwork button-up vest from the Spring/Summer 1993 Dolce and Gabbana collection, designed by Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana. This vest features a number of pattern squares sewn together, creating a chic bohemian vest...Category
1990s Italian Shirts
- S/S 2000 Gianni Versace by Donatella Chambray Iridescent Button Up Jacket TopBy Donatella Versace for Gianni Versace, Gianni Versace CoutureLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting a glamourous chambray button-up blouse designed by Donatella for the Gianni Versace Spring/Summer 2000 collection. Featuring jacket construction, this top has large irides...Category
Early 2000s Italian Jackets
- NWT F/W 2002 Dolce & Gabbana Multicolor Suede Butterfly Vest TopBy Dolce & GabbanaLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting a fabulous color block Dolce and Gabbana suede butterfly vest. From the Fall/Winter 2002 collection, this vest features multicolor ...Category
Early 2000s Italian Shirts
- Early 1990s Dolce & Gabbana Long Fringe Monochrome Panel DusterBy Dolce & GabbanaLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting a vintage Dolce and Gabbana black and white fringe duster. From the 1990s, this lightweight tie vest features black and white monochrome Bohemian-inspired patterns as well...Category
1990s Italian Cloaks
- Gianfranco Ferre black & white silk polka-dot jacketBy Gianfranco FerréLocated in New York, NYGianfranco Ferre Black & white silk crepe de chine jacket has a single hook & eye in front for closure. The sides of the jacket has a wide detailing slit. The shoulders are slight...Category
1980s Italian Mantle Coats
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.