Red and black polka-dots dress Circa 1980 Saint Laurent Rive Gauche
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: 40 (EU)
- Style:1980 (Of the Period)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FR
- Reference Number:
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.
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: SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, France
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Red jersey cocktail dress with rhinestone and snake brooch Roberto Cavalli NEWBy Roberto CavalliLocated in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FRRed jersey cocktail dress with rhinestone and snake brooch. Fabric composition: 6% stretch, 94% rayon. Raw-cut on the edge. Adjustable shoulder strap. SIZE M / NEW with tagCategory
2010s Italian Cocktail Dresses
- Burgundy cocktail dress with leather belt Valentino Miss V NEW with tagBy Valentino Miss VLocated in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FRBurgundy cocktail dress with black ribbons piping and leather belt. Shoulder-pad. Fabric composition: 70% acetate, 30% silk. Lining: 63% acetate, 37% rayon. New with tag. Zip in th...Category
1980s Italian Cocktail Dresses
- Backless evening dress with rubis rhinestone neckless Gai Mattiolo Couture NEWBy Gai MattioloLocated in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FRRed backless evening dress with rubis rhinestone neckless. Fabric composition: 58% acetate, 42% rayon. Invisible zip on the left side. Split middle back, lenght= 60 cm Adjustable c...Category
2010s Italian Evening Dresses
- Orange lace evening dress mermaid gown Ballet INC Circa 1950'sLocated in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FROrange lace evening dress mermaid gown with belt. Zip closure on the left side.Belt with snap closure.Silk lining inside the top and skirt lining for the bottom. Stiff fabric in the ...Category
1950s American Evening Gowns
- Red silk and rhinestone sleeveless cocktail dress Azzaro ParisBy Loris Azzaro ParisLocated in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FRRed silk, rhinestone and glass beads sleeveless cocktail dress. Silk lining. Hook&eye closure in the middle top front. Invisible zip and hook&eye in the middle back. SIZE 40 (Fr) ...Category
Early 2000s French Cocktail Dresses
- Red satin sleeveless cocktail dress with see-through lace back GrèsBy Madame GresLocated in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FRRed satin sleeveless cocktail dress with see-through lace back and cape effect . No fabric tag composition but probably silk satin . One side is shiny ( the dress) and the other sid...Category
1980s Unknown Cocktail Dresses
- Runway Yves Saint Laurent S/S 1989 Lipstick Red Rayon Jersey Strapless 80s DressBy Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, Yves Saint LaurentLocated in San Diego, CASensational vintage YSL Rive Gauche spring / summer 1989 runway lipstick red rayon jersey strapless 1980s dress ! The same dress was featured on the runway in black. Sash at side wai...Category
1980s French Cocktail Dresses
- Worlds End orange cotton jersey toga dress with Henri Matisse print, A / W 1982By Vivienne Westwood, Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLarenLocated in London, GB- Designed by Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren - Henri Matisse - Femmes et Singes (1954) printed in brown 'Buffalo / Nostalgia of Mud' Autumn-W...Category
1980s British Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Azzedine Alaia red open knit fishtail evening dress, ss 1996By Azzedine AlaïaLocated in London, GBPresenting an alluring Azzedine Alaia red ribbed knit evening dress, a true masterpiece from the spring-summer 1996 collection. This dress showcases the designer's unparalleled craft...Category
1990s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Vintage 1920s Silk Dress with Decorative BeltLocated in London, GBA pretty 1920s silk dress with a decorative belt. This 1920s silk dress has a drop waist with frill along the hip line. The belt ties at the waist w...Category
1920s Unknown Evening Dresses and Gowns
- 2008 F/W Comme des Garçons Cut out Heart DressBy Comme des Garçons, Rei KawakuboLocated in Austin, TXLook #16 from the Fall 2008 collection. 2008 F/W Comme des Garçons Dress Pleated & Mesh Accents Buckle Closure Distressed undone hems and open side Bust: 29", Waist: 27", Hip: 44",...Category
Early 2000s Japanese Evening Dresses and Gowns
- BOB MACKIE Burnished Red Silk Dress with Black Beaded Bow Neckline Size 8By Bob MackieLocated in Los Angeles, CAThis Bob Mackie cocktail dress is composed of a burnished silk with a black beaded neckline and bow detail. There is a center back zipper closure and zippers at the sleeve ends. In ...Category
20th Century American Cocktail 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.