Yves Saint Laurent Wine Velvet Skirt
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Length: 40 in (101.6 cm)Marked Size: 36 (EU)Waist: 24 in (60.96 cm)Hip: 40 in (101.6 cm)
- Style:1980 (Of the Period)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. skirt is lined.
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU4611030132
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.
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: New York, NY
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Charles James Tobacco Taffeta Cocktail Skirt 1952–53By Samuel Winston, Charles JamesLocated in New York, NYEmbroidered and appliqued jet glass, sequins, and velvet florals on a tobacco silk taffeta ground. The aerodynamic understructure pushes skirt out to exaggerated proportions. Made f...Category
1950s American Skirts
- Colorful Folkloric Ruffled Skirt, Ellen TracyBy Ellen TracyLocated in New York, NYFolkloric Ruffled Skirt by Ellen Tracy circa 1970. Wonderfully colored vibrant paisley print in a dirndl shape over an attached petticoat with 2 rows of r...Category
1970s American Ruffled Skirts
- Italian Rose Jacquard Maxi SkirtLocated in New York, NYMaxi wool knit skirt made in Italy circa 1970s. Jacquarded roses in vibrants pinks and green on a doubleknit wool ground. Striped waist detail with side zip entry.
Excellent c...Category1970s Italian Skirts
- Christian Dior Lame Pleated SkirtBy Christian DiorLocated in New York, NYChristian Dior Lame Pleated Skirt from the 1980's in an Art Deco Rose pattern. Pleats fall from waist with side zip entry. Size 4, Waist 24", 33" Long, Hip to 36". Christian Dior L...Category
1980s French Pleated Skirts
- Marie Pierre Tattarachi Pleated Cotton Jersey SkirtLocated in New York, NYDescription: Marie Pierre Tattarachi pleated cotton jersey tiered mini dress (also wearable as skirt). Drawstring at top at bust with super full bohemian skirt. France 1980's.Category
1980s French Skirts
- Hermes Orange Linen look Wrap SkirtBy HermèsLocated in New York, NYHermes signature orange spun rayon linen look wrap skirt with cream piping. Silvertone metal hook hardware closure.
Vintage size: 38. 1970's Fran...Category1970s French Skirts
- Yves Saint Laurent by Tom Ford SS-02 Cotton Laced Safari Skirt with Leopard TrimBy Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, Tom Ford for Yves Saint LaurentLocated in Brussels, BEThe sexy pencil skirt was a piece that Carine Roitfeld, Tom Ford’s longtime stylist and former Vogue Paris editor-in-chief, made quite popular in the early noughties. Roitfeld was obsessed with the rigor and discipline of uniforms, but she kept looking for ways to add eroticism to strictly tailored clothes. This military-inspired skirt -with its sensual trim of leopard print chiffon- was an obvious choice for her and hasn’t lost any of its relevance. This is a version of skirt Look 2 as seen on the runway spring/summer 2002, ready-to-wear, model Rie Rasmussen 100% cotton in savana Leopard trim...Category
Early 2000s Italian Pencil Skirts
- VINTAGE 1970’S MISSONI wool tweed A-Line Skirt - Never been WornBy MissoniLocated in COLLINGWOOD, AUVintage MISSONI Wool tweed skirt from the 1970's. Never been Worn. With original tag. Beautiful tweed with cumberband waist. Size 40 Italian, Small. Made in Italy. Colour - beig...Category
1970s Italian A-Line Skirts
- Diane Von Furstenberg Y2K Printed Silk Maxi SkirtBy Diane von FurstenbergLocated in Scottsdale, AZHow fun is this Diane Von Furstenberg Y2K Printed Silk Maxi Skirt?! – This stunning piece encapsulates the vibrant, fun, and eclectic spirit of the early 2000s. The early 2000s were ...Category
Early 2000s Chinese Skirts
- 1960s Emilio Pucci Pleated SkirtBy Emilio PucciLocated in Scottsdale, AZComing in hot! How fun is this orange and yellow 1960s Emilio Pucci skirt?! This skirt is sooo reminiscent of another era! The perfect summer midi skirt has arrived and this one is a 100% cotton a-line skirt with slash pockets at the hip. The way this skirt billows out at the bottom is so elegant and will make you want to dance and twirl the night away! The star of the show is Pucci's signature abstract graphic print, this time compromised of vibrant oranges and yellows on an ivory base to create this flaming hot graphic. Style this with a Dior bustier and some prada kitten heels...Category
1960s Italian Pleated Skirts
- Missoni AW21 Plaid Pencil SkirtBy M MissoniLocated in Scottsdale, AZThis Missoni pencil skirt is going to become your next go-to skirt you can't stop reaching for! How adorable is this Missoni AW21 plaid pencil skirt?! Missoni presents their signatur...Category
2010s Italian Pencil Skirts
- 1990s Faux Cowhide Fuzzy Pencil SkirtLocated in Scottsdale, AZCowgirl up with our amazing 1990s faux cowhide fuzzy pencil skirt! Made of a soft fuzzy faux fur fabric, printed with brown and white cow spots. Pencil skirt silhouette with high wai...Category
1990s Pencil Skirts
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.