Yves Saint Laurent Bold Stripe Knit Day Dress
About the Item
- Designer:
- Dimensions:Length: 42 in (106.68 cm)Marked Size: 38 (EU)Bust: 38 in (96.52 cm)Waist: 34 in (86.36 cm)Hip: 38 in (96.52 cm)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU444484831
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.
- Chloe Lace and Chiffon Maxi DressBy ChloéLocated in New York, NYChloe, khaki tone, georgette and lace, maxi dress having a tiered, cape-like panel at the bodice, acting as a loose sleeve, but exposing the shoulders with intricate, scalloped lace...Category
1980s French Maxi Dresses
- Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche Belted Suede DressBy Yves Saint Laurent Rive GaucheLocated in New York, NYYves Saint Laurent, brown suede, long sleeve, sheath having a turtleneck collar and gathered detail at the neckline that extends down to the waist. There is a self belt that can be w...Category
1990s French Chemise Dresses
- Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche Patterned Silk Day DressBy Yves Saint Laurent Rive GaucheLocated in New York, NYYves Saint Laurent, Rive Gauche, ivory silk, having a black and red diamond pattern day dress. Dress details, include a U neckline, having black ...Category
1970s French Day Dresses
- Courrèges Belted LBDBy André CourrègesLocated in New York, NYAndré Corrèges, black, silk, heavy crepe, belted dress having a deep V neckline and pleated accents from the shoulder to the waist. There is an off centered curved slit detail at the...Category
1970s French Day Dresses
- Galanos Belted Wool Knit Day DressBy James GalanosLocated in New York, NYJames Galanos, red, wool knit, shift-like day dress having long sleeves with a slightly dropped shoulder, jewel neckline and a gathered back detail with vertical slits at the upper b...Category
1980s American Day Dresses
- Samuel Winston Floral Pattern Dress C. 1960By Samuel WinstonLocated in New York, NYSamuel Winston, crinkled silk, impressionistic, soft tones, floral pattern, dress having a bateau neckline, cap sleeve, fitted bodice, and full gathered skirt. Tubular self belt ties...Category
1960s American Day Dresses
- Salvatore Ferragamo Peach Cotton Knit Short Sleeve Shift Dress - MediumBy Salvatore FerragamoLocated in West Palm Beach, FLSalvatore Ferragamo Peach Cotton Knit Short Sleeve Shift Dress - Medium. This lovely dress is in excellent condition. It features a feminine peach cotton knit material, two pockets...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Shift Dresses
- Vilshenko black pink floral print silk puff sleeve mock neck maxi dress XS - SBy VilshenkoLocated in Paris, FRLOVE LALI Vintage Vilshenko black dress with pink, yellow and green floral print Button up neckline Mock neck Cinched waist Puff sleeves Loose tiered skirt Concealed back zip Attac...Category
2010s Maxi Dresses
- Chloe brown strapless corset bustier layered chiffon satin maxi dress gown 36By ChloéLocated in Paris, FRLOVE LALI Vintage Please note that the model is 6 foot 1" / 185 cm and wearing very high heels - on someone shorter this dress would be much longer Chloe strapless bustier dress in...Category
2010s French Evening Dresses
- Bazaar of France Vivid Multicolor Abstract Cowl-Neck Cap-Sleeve Jersey DressLocated in New York, NYBazaar of France, vivid multicolor abstract dress accented with a cowl-neck front as well as cap-sleeves. The length measures 39 1/2 inches, bust measures 38 inches, waist mea...Category
Early 2000s French Day Dresses
- 1960s Malcolm Starr Green Pink Metallic Floral Print DressBy Malcolm StarrLocated in Beverly Hills, CA1960s Malcolm Starr Gown in Green, Pink, gold and blue print sleeveless gown. Perfect for wedding or cocktail event . Waist is encrusted with multi color jeweled. Bust: 34” / waist ...Category
1960s American Evening Gowns
- Dior Paris White Broderie Anglaise DressLocated in London, GBA great white dress by Dior Paris, in a heavy brorderie anglaise. The dress has a zip front opening and two pockets. It is fully lined.Category
Early 2000s French Day Dresses
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.