Saint Laurent Black Mini Dress
About the Item
- Designer:
- Dimensions:Length: 35 in (88.9 cm)Bust: 32 in (81.28 cm)Waist: 26 in (66.04 cm)Hip: 35 in (88.9 cm)
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Beverly Hills, CA
- Reference Number:
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. Under creative director Hedi Slimane, the house’s ready-to-wear collection was rebranded as Saint Laurent in 2012.
Browse an extraordinary collection of vintage Saint Laurent evening dresses, shirts, handbags and other clothing and accessories today on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Beverly Hills, CA
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
- Proenza Schouler Black and Multicolored Wrap Round Mini Dress, Size 6By Proenza SchoulerLocated in Beverly Hills, CAProduct details: The dress is made out of 100% silk, it features geometric and abstract print pattern, v- neck line, long sleeves, mini length.Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Day Dresses
- Vintage Carven Black Mid Lenght Long Sleeve Dress Size 38By CarvenLocated in Beverly Hills, CAProduct details: Size 38 Featuring 100% polyester fabric, long sleeves with slit, mid length, shorter on the front, longer on the back, rear zip closure. Made in Turkey.Category
Late 20th Century Turkish Formal Wear
- Diane von Fürstenberg Navy Lace Mini Dress, Size 8By Diane von FurstenbergLocated in Beverly Hills, CA- Floral lace motif - Gold tone rear zip closure - 3/4 sleeves length - Crew neckline on the front and v neckline on the backCategory
2010s Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Zimmermann Brown Silk Maxi Dress, Size 3By ZimmermannLocated in Beverly Hills, CA- Spaghetti straps - Sleeveless style - Floor length - Ruffled detailCategory
21st Century and Contemporary Day Dresses
- Harvey Faircloth Navy Mini Dress, Size 4Located in Beverly Hills, CA- Shiny navy finish - Gold tone hardware - Spaghetti straps - V neckline - Mini Length - Zipper and button detailsCategory
21st Century and Contemporary Day Dresses
- MSGM Black Mini Dress, Size 42Located in Beverly Hills, CA- Long balloon sleeves - Deep V neckline - Mini length - Belted design detail - Rear concealed zip closureCategory
2010s Italian Day Dresses
- 1970s Albert Nipon Vintage Dress in Black Satin With Ruff CollarBy Albert NiponLocated in Portland, ORThis beautiful vintage dress was designed by Albert Nipon in the 1970's. The dress is black satin with a ruff collar that has rows of topstitching. This is...Category
1970s American Day Dresses
- S/S 1997 Gucci by Tom Ford GG Buckle Black Stretch Backless Halter Top DressBy Tom Ford for Gucci, GucciLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting a sexy formfitting halter neck Gucci dress, designed by Tom Ford for the Spring/Summer 1997 collection. This dress features a halter neck with a gold 'GG' interlocking clo...Category
1990s Italian Cocktail Dresses
- S/S 1998 Gucci by Tom Ford G Buckle Purple Knit Sleeveless Cutout DressBy Tom Ford for Gucci, GucciLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting two-in-one, this dress can be worn with either an exposed back or a plunging neckline. Sexy and versatile, this dress represents one of Tom Ford's most popular and iconic ...Category
1990s Italian Cocktail Dresses
- S/S 1998 Gucci by Tom Ford Leather Strap Black Knit Runway DressBy Tom Ford for Gucci, GucciLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting a form-fitting knit Gucci dress, designed by Tom Ford. This dress debuted on the Spring/Summer 1998 runway as look 5. Constructed of black knit viscose, this long sleeve d...Category
1990s Italian Cocktail Dresses
- S/S 2002 Gucci by Tom Ford Knit Hook Closure Runway Black Knit Dress SetBy Tom Ford for Gucci, GucciLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting a slinky hook and eye closure accented sweater dress set designed by Tom Ford for Gucci's Spring/Summer 2002 collection. This set debuted as look number 23 on Erin Wasson on the Spring/Summer 2002 runway and was seen on Debra Messing at the 2002 Screen Actor's Guild Awards and in the March 2002 issue of L'Uomo Vogue...Category
Early 2000s Italian Cocktail Dresses
- Mid-Late 1990s Gianni Versace Couture Black Dropped Hem Bias-Cut Wiggle Gown LBDBy Gianni Versace, Gianni Versace CoutureLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting a vintage midi Gianni Versace dress, designed by Gianni Versace. This is the little black dress your wardrobe is missing. Simple and classy, th...Category
1990s Italian 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.
This Golden Saint Laurent Handbag Feels Like a Disco-Era Throwback (in the Best Way Possible)
If you're looking for an accessory that brings the party, this is it.