Men's Yves Saint Laurent red silk leisure suit, ss 1978
View Similar Items
Men's Yves Saint Laurent red silk leisure suit, ss 1978
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: Small (EU)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU140211276082
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.
- Vivienne Westwood Spring-Summer 1992 brown leather corset and mini skirtBy Vivienne WestwoodLocated in London, GBVivienne Westwood Spring-Summer 1992 brown leather corset with boning, zip fastening and two long tie-up sashes at the front. High waisted mini skirt with slit at the rear.Category
1990s British Skirt Suits
- Gianni Versace gold leopard printed bodysuit and pants, ss 1992By Gianni VersaceLocated in London, GBGianni Versace gold leopard printed metallic bodysuit and pants. Spring-Summer 1992Category
1990s Italian Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Vivienne Westwood mens tan ruffled pant suit, ss 1997By Vivienne WestwoodLocated in London, GBVivienne Westwood men's tan polyester pant suit with playing card symbols print. Wide leg pants with elastic waistband and ruffled shirt. Spring...Category
1990s British Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Paul Daunay gold lamé jacquard couture evening ensemble, c. 1960By Paul DaunayLocated in London, GBPaul Daunay gold lamé jacquard couture evening ensemble comprising: long-line waistcoat lined with purple silk and high rise a-line skirt with inverted pleats and two side pockets. ...Category
1960s French Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Alexander McQueen quilted nude leather jumpsuit fw 2004By Alexander McQueenLocated in London, GBQuilted nude leather jumpsuit by Alexander McQueen, from his F/W 2004 collection "Pantheon Ad Lucem"Category
Early 2000s British Jumpsuits
- Gianni Versace multicoloured silk pant suit, ss 1992By Gianni VersaceLocated in London, GBGianni Versace multicoloured silk pant suit. Spring-Summer 1992Category
1990s Italian Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- 1994 Vivienne Westwood 3-piece Leopard skirt, vest and jacket suitBy Vivienne WestwoodLocated in CAPELLE AAN DEN IJSSEL, ZHStunning leopard 3 piece set is notable piece from Vivienne Westwood's 1994 fw collection. The print made its debut in October 1993 during the Fall/Winter 1994 "Café Society' collection, representing one of the designer's most iconic moments. On that memorable occasion, the jacket adorned the graceful model, Helena Christensen. "Café Society" reimagines European history's impact on women's fashion, posing the question: How does a woman appear when freed from restrictions? Vivienne Westwood, a challenger of fashion authority, draws inspiration from Charles Frederick Worth, the 19th-century founder of haute couture. By incorporating elements like ivory tassels, Westwood transforms the traditional Victorian bustle...Category
1990s Skirt Suits
- Vintage 1980s John Cavill Australia plissé pleat skirt suit with beltLocated in COLLINGWOOD, AUAmazing John Cavill metallic plisse 4 piece suit comprising of jacket over full length matching fabric skirt with net petticoat and belt makes this a stand...Category
1980s Australian Skirt Suits
$559 Sale Price20% Off - Vintage 1970’s Callaghan by Gianni Versace mohair/wool winter trouser suitBy CALLAGHANLocated in COLLINGWOOD, AU1970’s super chic Callaghan (designed by Gianni Versace) mohair winter pant suit with flared trousers and unique knit top with flared sleeves & ribbing trim. Great camel colour that...Category
1970s Italian Trouser Pant Suits
- 1960s Malcolm Starr Floral Chiffon SetLocated in Scottsdale, AZBreathtaking Malcolm Starr blouse and maxi skirt set circa 1960s! Stunning matching formal set in the most whimsical pastel floral print chiffon. The skirt starts fitted at the waist...Category
1960s Skirt Suits
- Bottega Veneta Dusky Pink Seamed Track Pants MBy Bottega VenetaLocated in Dubai, Al Qouz 2To give you comfort and high style, Bottega Veneta brings you this dusky pink creation that has been made from quality fabrics and designed with an elastici...Category
2010s Italian Trouser Pant Suits
$114 Sale Price70% Off - Zimmerman Gold Satin Faux Wrap Belted Playsuit LBy ZimmermannLocated in Dubai, Al Qouz 2An exquisite fusion of chic & sophisticated style, this Zimmerman ensemble will lend an edge to your personality. Cut from luxurious satin, it carries a lovely gold hue, features a b...Category
2010s Italian Jumpsuits
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.