Yves Saint Laurent Haute Couture Cuff, 1980
About the Item
- Creator:
- Metal:
- Style:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1980
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU4611705872
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.
- Victorian Mixed Metal Lily of the Valley BangleLocated in New York, NYVictorian Mixed Metal Lily of the Valley Bangle form the late 19th Century. Sterling bangle with applications of pink and green gold florals which are applied over the engraved desi...Category
Antique 1880s British Victorian Cuff Bracelets
Materials14k Gold, Silver
- MWLC Poured Glass Ghost Flower CuffBy Mark Walsh Leslie ChinLocated in New York, NYStriking MWLC Poured Glass "Ghost" Flower Cuff gilded textured bronze. A large silhouette of a flower is perched on a gilt band. Cabochons of amythest poured glass are applied alon...Category
2010s Cuff Bracelets
MaterialsBronze
- Hand hammered Cuffs, Claire Deve for Claude Montana AW 1981By Claire Deve for Claude MontanaLocated in New York, NYPair of Hand hammered cuffs by Claire Deve for Claude Montana. Handmade in brass with leather lacings. Designed to be worn on upper arm or wrist. Autumn Winter 1981 France. Excellent...Category
Vintage 1980s French Artisan Cuff Bracelets
MaterialsBrass, Gold Plate, Gilt Metal
- Heavy Metal Chain Cuff, MWLCBy Mark Walsh Leslie ChinLocated in New York, NYHeavy metal chains and hoops in varying sizes are wrapped around a massive cuff. Made for Jill Stuart NY runway presentation against a palette of floaty pastel chiffon ballerina dr...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Cuff Bracelets
- Victorian English Aesthetic CuffLocated in New York, NYVictorian English Aesthetic Cuff bracelet with buckle motif on base of lovely hand etched leaves. Lovely quality and design from the late 19th Centur...Category
Antique 1880s British Victorian Cuff Bracelets
MaterialsSterling Silver
- American Indian Turquoise CuffLocated in New York, NYAttractive Navajo cuff of graduated turquoises set in silver with twisted wire and shot work. Great for men or women. Interior 2.5 x 2", USA 1940's. The bracelet measures 7.5" in le...Category
Vintage 1940s Unknown Cuff Bracelets
MaterialsTurquoise, Sterling Silver
- David Webb Carved Jade Cuff Bangle BraceletBy David WebbLocated in New York, NYDavid Webb 18 kt., the tapered hammered gold bangle centering a modified rectangular carved jade panel depicting a phoenix within bamboo ap. 52.0 x 3...Category
20th Century American Modern Cuff Bracelets
MaterialsDiamond, Jade, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
- David Webb 18K Yellow Gold Double Head Pantheres in Black Enamel BraceletBy David WebbLocated in New York, NYA maker who stands unequaled in his bold use of colored enamel and love of animal motifs, David Webb’s creations offer a playful escape from the everyday. His strikingly imaginative designs filled with eye-catching geometric elements and remarkable use of color quickly became the favorite amongst celebrities and fashion aficionados alike. Designed as an articulated hinged bangle, the two opposing black enamel panthers, with bezel-set ruby eyes and a circular-cut diamond nose and collar, holding a circular-cut diamond hoop in their teeth, their white enamel bodies decorated with sculpted 18k gold stripes and spots, mounted in 18k gold and platinum, wrist size 6.25 inches. A skilled jeweler as well as an innovative designer, Webb often worked closely with the production of his pieces. With extreme attention to detail and devotion to the quality of his work, Webb’s creations form a unique marriage of fashion and luxury. The designer’s signature style, often contrasting enamel and both precious and semi-precious gemstones, remains unmistakable. Webb was fond of using enamel to add color to his designs. Enamel is a decorative coating applied to a metal; and in Webb’s case, his metal of choice was usually yellow gold. The contrast of bright yellow gold with his enamel detailing creates a bold look that is quintessential Webb. Perhaps the jewelry that Webb is most known for are his wide-ranging collection of animal bracelets, brooches and pins. Animals are common in jewelry everywhere, but nobody does animals like David Webb; the first of David Webb’s animal...Category
20th Century American Modern Bangles
MaterialsDiamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
- David Webb Platinum, 18K Yellow Gold Carved Emerald and Diamond Cuff BraceletBy David WebbLocated in New York, NYDavid Webb Crossover Platinum and Yellow Gold Carved Emerald Cuff Bracelet. Two emeralds measure 134 carats, and there are 175 round brilliant cut diamonds 5.91cts. With a certificate. Wrist Size: 6.5 inches. Questions? Call us anytime! The Back Vault...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Cuff Bracelets
MaterialsDiamond, Emerald, Yellow Gold, Platinum
- Emilio Jewelry 36.00 Carat Certified Emerald Diamond BraceletBy Emilio!Located in New York, NYFrom the Emilio Jewelry Vault, Showcasing a stunning bracelet: Emeralds: Certified Colombian emeralds 5.00 Carats are vivid green color with excellent crystal and excellent transpare...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Cuff Bracelets
MaterialsEmerald
- Emilio Jewelry GIA Certified 22.00 Carat Natural Pink Diamond BraceletBy Emilio!Located in New York, NYFrom The Vault at Emilio Jewelry Located on New York's iconic Fifth Avenue Hand made with multi shapes of Natural pink and natural white exotic diamonds featuring heart, oval, cushi...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Retro Bracelets
MaterialsPink Diamond
- Diamond Cluster Cuff BraceletBy Issac NussbaumLocated in New York, NYThis glamorous Diamond Cluster Cuff Bracelet features an intricate mix of Marquise and Round Brilliant cut VS-SI1 diamonds. The near colorless diamonds are set in handmade 18K Gold, ...Category
Early 2000s American Contemporary Cuff Bracelets
MaterialsDiamond, 18k Gold
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.