Yves Saint Laurent Day Dress w/Enamel Heart Buttons
View Similar Items
Yves Saint Laurent Day Dress w/Enamel Heart Buttons
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Studio City, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: AU13073035783
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.
- 1970's Leonard Silk Jersey Form Fitting Floral Day Dress with Flutter SleevesBy LeonardLocated in Studio City, CAUnusual knee-length day dress by Parisian designer, Leonard made from silk jersey. Dress features a cowl neckline, flutter sleeves, two frontal ties at the waste and a graphic floral...Category
1970s French Day Dresses
- 1960's Prestige Black Leather Destination Box PurseBy PrestigeLocated in Studio City, CA1960's Prestige "Destination Purse" in black pebbled leather with top handle and featuring four metal plaques bearing the names of "destination" cities: New York, Paris, Rome, London. This style of...Category
1960s American Novelty Bags
- Alaia Midnight Blue Top & Skirt Ensemble w/CutoutsBy Azzedine AlaïaLocated in Studio City, CAAlaïa midnight blue bodycon top and skirt ensemble featuring cutouts. The top is 3/4 length with a square neckline and scalloped trim. The skirt is an A-line silhouette with flounced...Category
Early 2000s French Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- 1960s Fontana Sisters Haute Couture Metallic Cocktail DressLocated in Studio City, CAFontana Sisters haute couture cocktail dress made with metallic thread - the thread has oxidized, giving the dress it's unusual, amazing look. Has pane...Category
1960s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
$1,250 Sale Price21% Off - Pauline Trigere Black Halter Neck Evening Gown w/Waterfall Hem&Rhinestone DetailBy Pauline TrigèreLocated in Studio City, CAPauline Trigere black halter neck evening gown with waterfall hem and rhinestone sunburst design. In excellent condition. No size tag so...Category
20th Century American Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Valentino Blue White and Gold Star Print ShortsBy ValentinoLocated in Studio City, CAValentino silk and wool blend star print shorts. Size 8. In excellent condition.Category
2010s Italian Shorts
- Fendi Black Leather Flowerland Strap You Shoulder Bag StrapBy FendiLocated in Dubai, Al Qouz 2Fendi brings you this super-chic shoulder strap that you can flaunt with your collection of handbags. The strap is made from leather and designed with floral details. It is complete ...Category
2010s Italian Wallets and Small Accessories
- Louis Vuitton Black Leather and Canvas Damier Slide Flats Size 42.5By Louis VuittonLocated in Dubai, Al Qouz 2Let this comfortable pair be your first choice when you're out for a long day. These LV flats have well-sewn uppers beautifully set on durable soles.Category
2010s Italian Sandals
- Louis Vuitton Brown Leather Monte Carlo Loafers Size 41By Louis VuittonLocated in Dubai, Al Qouz 2Practical, fashionable, and durable—these designer loafers are carefully built to be fine companions to your everyday style. They come made using the best materials to be a prized bu...Category
2010s Italian Moccasins
- Prada Black Crystal Embellished Satin Wide HeadbandBy PradaLocated in Dubai, Al Qouz 2This pretty headband by Prada is a must-have accessory! Covered in black crystals, this headband is easy to put on and looks gorgeous with casual chic outfits as well as evening dres...Category
2010s Italian Other
- Louis Vuitton Brown Suede Monte Carlo Slip On Loafers Size 42By Louis VuittonLocated in Dubai, Al Qouz 2Look sharp and neat with this pair of Monte Carlo loafers from Louis Vuitton. They have been crafted from brown suede and designed with the art of fine stitching and the signature LV...Category
2010s Italian Moccasins
- Stuart Weitzman Black Suede Crystal Embellished Ankle Length Boots Size 37.5By Stuart WeitzmanLocated in Dubai, Al Qouz 2Stuart Weitzman is all set to impress you with this stunning pair of boots. Crafted from leather, they feature sturdy heels. This pair of boots will raise your style factor.Category
2010s Italian Boots
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.