YVES SAINT LAURENT c.1980's Rive Gauche Dark Gray Beaded Silk Cashmere Knit YSL
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. CONDITION: AB (see guide). A few areas with minor bead loss, only noticeable upon extremely close examination. Please refer to images provided.
- Seller Location:Thiensville, WI
- Reference Number:
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.
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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Thiensville, WI
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- COURREGES Paris Hyperbole c.1970’s White Embroidered Quarter Zip Pullover HoodieBy André Courrèges, Courreges HyperboleLocated in Thiensville, WICOURREGES Paris Hyperbole c.1970’s White Embroidered Quarter Zip Pullover Hoodie Brand / Manufacturer: Courrèges Paris Hyperbole Circa: 1970’s Style: Qu...Category
1970s French Pullovers
- COURREGES c.1970-1980's Ivory Slub Knit Button-Up Long Sleeve Cardigan SweaterBy Courrèges, André CourrègesLocated in Thiensville, WICOURREGES c.1970-1980's Ivory Slub Knit Button-Up Long Sleeve Cardigan Sweater Circa: c.1970's-1980's Label(s): Courreges Paris Style: Cardigan sweater Color(s): Ivory Lined: No M...Category
Late 20th Century French Cardigans
- COURREGES c.1970's Grey & White Logo Signature Print Knit Sweater VestBy Courrèges, André CourrègesLocated in Thiensville, WIDESCRIPTION: COURREGES c.1970's Grey & White Logo Signature Print Knit Sweater Vest Circa: c.1970's Label(s): Courreges Paris Style: Sweater vest Color(s): Grey and white Lined: N...Category
1970s French Sweater Vests
- MONCLER F/W 2018 Green Black Trim Cashmere Turtleneck Long Sleeve Sweater TopBy MonclerLocated in Thiensville, WIBrand / Manufacturer: Moncler Collection: F/W 2018 Style: Long sleeve sweater top Color(s): Shades of green, black Lined: No Marked Fabric Content: "100% cashmere" (primary fabric) A...Category
2010s Pullovers
- DIANE VON FURSTENBERG c.1980s Yellow White Striped Knit Sleeveless Sweater TopBy Diane von FurstenbergLocated in Thiensville, WIBrand / Manufacturer: Diane Von Furstenberg Circa: 1980s Designer: Diane von Furstenberg Style: Sweater top Color(s): Shades of yellow, white Lined: No Marked Fabric Content: "55% ra...Category
1980s Sweater Vests
- DONNA KARAN Pre-Fall 2015 Black White Checker Knit Open Cardigan JacketBy Donna KaranLocated in Thiensville, WIDONNA KARAN Pre-Fall 2015 Black White Checker Knit Open Cardigan Jacket Brand / Manufacturer: Donna Karan Collection: Pre-Fall 2015 Designer: Donna Karan Style: Cardigan Jacket Col...Category
2010s Chinese Cardigans
- Christian Dior Turtleneck SweaterBy Christian DiorLocated in Waterford, MIBrown plaid sweater. Turtleneck. Pullover style. Lambswool and angora. Made in Hong Kong. *Condition: excellent vintage condition. No visible flaws. Measurements Taken Laying Flat ...Category
1990s Pullovers
- St.John Metallic Knit SweaterBy St. JohnLocated in Waterford, MISilver and black metallic knit sweater. Rhinestone buttons at shoulder. Stretchy. Crew neck. Elastic waist detail. *Condition: Good vintage condition. ...Category
1970s Pullovers
- Gianni Versace rose gold Oroton metal mesh vest, fw 1994By Gianni VersaceLocated in London, GB▪ Gianni Versace rose gold Oroton vest ▪ 100% Metal ▪ Back zip fastening ▪ IT 42 - FR 38 - UK 10 - US 6 ▪ Fall-Winter 1994Category
1990s Italian Sweaters
- Men's Yohji Yamamoto grey wool four-sleeved knitted sweater, fw 1992By Yohji YamamotoLocated in London, GB▪ Yohji Yamamoto grey knitted turtleneck sweater ▪ 100% Wool ▪ Four sleeves (two tying around the waist) ▪ Size Medium ▪ Fall-Winter 1992Category
1990s Japanese Sweaters
- Comme des Garçons grey jersey deconstructed sweater dress, fw 1998By Comme des GarçonsLocated in London, GBComme des Garçons grey jersey deconstructed sweater dress with hook and eye fastenings and various shaped panels Fall-Winter 1998Category
1990s French Day Dresses
- Valentino Beige Black Angora Wool Vintage Sweater 90sBy ValentinoLocated in Brindisi, BtValentino vintage 90s soft wool sweater jacket. Beige and black striped cardigan, on the hips there are loops to be able to put on a belt. Angora and wool fabric. Made in Italy. Siz...Category
1990s Italian Cardigans
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.