Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche Black Cocktail Dress
By Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche
Located in Sharon, CT
A beautiful YSL Rive Gauche Paris, France black cocktail dress, with a silk belt with a large flower bow. Shoulders are lightly padded. Zipper on side, button at neck opening in bac...
Black velvet and taffetas ruffles cocktail dress Saint Laurent Rive Gauche
By Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche
Located in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FR
Black velvet and black taffetas ruffles cocktail dress. SIZE : 38 ( Fr)
Yves Saint Laurent RIve Gauche Cocktail dress
By Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche
Located in New York, NY
Yves Saint Laurent, Rive Gauche, black faille cocktail dress, having satin edging detail and a black satin bow at the waist. Dress has side button closures embellished with round, bl...
Black evening dress in velvet and silk velvet dévoré Saint Laurent Rive Gauche
By Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche
Located in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FR
Black evening dress in velvet and silk velvet dévoré. Rayon lining inside the top part of the dress. Zip closure on the middle back. Elastic band on the bottom edge of the sleeves. ...
Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche Black Crepe Cocktail Dress Wrap Tie Bodice 1990s
By Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche
Located in Port Saint Lucie, FL
Authentic Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche black crepe cocktail dress, circa 1990s. A refined take on the timeless little black dress, this elegant YSL design features a minimalist sil...
Blue sequin and lace dress with black ruffles SAINT LAURENT RIVE GAUCHE
By Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche
Located in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FR
Blue sequin and lace dress with black silk organza ruffles. Zip closure on the left side. SIZE 38 (Fr) M
Vintage Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche Black Cocktail Dress
By Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, Yves Saint Laurent
Located in London, GB
A chic vintage cocktail dress by Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche. The dress has a v neckline, button opening with wonderful decorative buttons , gathering at the waist and small shoul...
Fall 1986 YSL Rive Gauche Black and Fuchsia Patterned Velvet Dress
By Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche
Located in Toronto, Ontario
YSL Rive Gauche Black and Fuchsia patterned velvet dress from the Fall 1986 collection. The same dress was featured on the Runway in all black but this contrasting color version acce...
Wrapped printed silk jacquard cocktail dress SAINT LAURENT RIVE GAUCHE
By Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche
Located in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FR
Wrapped printed silk jacquard cocktail dress. Red silk jacquard lining. Black fabric edge and belt. Shoulder pad. Hidden hook&eye closure inside on the waist. Belt-loop. SIZE 34...
Burgundy silk cocktail draped dress YVES SAINT LAURENT RIVE GAUCHE
By Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche
Located in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FR
Burgundy silk cocktail dress. Main fabric composition : 84% silk, 16% stretch Invisible zip closure on the left side and on the top of the left shoulder. Hook&eye closure under the s...
Black velvet and purple silk taffetas evening dress SAINT LAURENT Rive Gauche
By Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, Yves Saint Laurent
Located in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FR
Black velvet and purple silk taffetas evening dress with taffetas belt. Acetate lining. Zip closure on the left side. Button and buttonhole closure on the left side of the chest. Be...
Vintage Yves Saint Laurent ' Rive Gauche ' Black Silk Russian Collection Dress
By Yves Saint Laurent, Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche
Located in San Diego, CA
Beautiful and flattering vintage YVES SAINT LAURENT 'Rive Gauche’ black silk ruffle dress! Luxurious soft 'liquid' silk that looks incredible on! Features a silk velvet trim along th...
Black velvet cocktail dress with balloon bottom Saint Laurent Rive Gauche FW1988
By Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, Yves Saint Laurent
Located in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FR
Black velvet cocktail dress with balloon bottom. The fabric composition tag has been cut but the " ballon" part is probably in rayon and the lining in rayon or acetate. Raglan sleev...
Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche Fall 1988 Black Rosette Bubble Cocktail Dress YSL
By Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, Yves Saint Laurent
Located in San Diego, CA
A rare and highly collectible Fall 1988 Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche black cocktail dress showcasing one of YSL’s most iconic late-80s sculptural techniques. The bodice features a ...
1993 YVES SAINT LAURENT rive gauche black wool RUNWAY dress with lace up back
By Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, Yves Saint Laurent
Located in San Fransisco, CA
Jet-black wool dress from Saint Laurent’s 1993 resort collection, as shown on the runway that season. It has a simple, slightly A-line cut and a deep lace-up panel that runs the leng...
Yves Saint Laurent 1970s YSL Rive Gauche Black Red Diamond Print Silk 70s Dress
By Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, Yves Saint Laurent
Located in San Diego, CA
Chic late 70s YVES SAINT LAURENT silk dress and matching sash ! Features rounded diamond prints in red and cream. Hidden metal zipper up the side. Included sash can be worn as a belt...
Grey silk taffeta shirt and skirt evening ensemble SAINT LAURENT RIVE GAUCHE
By Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, Yves Saint Laurent
Located in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FR
Grey silk taffeta shirt and skirt evening ensemble. with ruffles. Hidden button and buttonhole closure on the middle front + on the cuffs. Fabric belt on the waist of the skirt. Sh...
Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche dress in lurex lamé with checks Circa 1990
By Yves Saint Laurent, Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche
Located in Toulon, FR
Circa 1990 France Lurex lamé cocktail dress by Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche dating from the 1990s. Wrap dress open at the front with crossed belt allowing a plunging V neckline. B...
90s Saint Laurent Rive Gauche Purple Silk Blouse and Maxi Skirt Ensemble
By Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, Yves Saint Laurent
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Classic 1990s Yves Saint Laurent aubergine ruffle silk blouse and maxi skirt set. Skirt has silk sash belt attached ( it can be removed). Perfect for cocktail party ensemble. blouse ...
Yves Saint Laurent "Rive Gauche" 70s Black Scarf Blouse & Maxi Skirt Set
By Yves Saint Laurent
Located in Antwerpen, Vlaams Gewest
Yves Saint Laurent "Rive Gauche" 1970s/80s black viscose scarf blouse and maxi pleated skirt ensemble Made in France, Size 36 (Small). Note that the skirt's waist has no stretch, co...
Early 1990s YSL Yves Saint Laurent Black Jersey Gathered One Shoulder Gown
By Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Early 1990s YSL Yves Saint Laurent black jersey one shoulder evening gown. The top of the gown is gathered from the top of the right shoulder to the opposite side. Zips up the left s...
Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche 1980s Vintage Black Strapless Peplum Dress
By Yves Saint Laurent
Located in San Diego, CA
Chic, and utterly classic 1980s YVES SAINT LAURENT 'Rive Gauche' black silk and linen blend strapless peplum dress! Features luxurious silk and linen blend that holds a nice shape wh...
Saint Laurent Rive Gauche Black Crushed Velvet Wrap Cocktail Dress, 1980s
By Yves Saint Laurent
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Yet another Yves Saint Laurent classic - this figure hugging wrap style cocktail dress in crushed lush black velvet circa 1980s. Unlined and just a teensy sheer with deep v neck and ...
Vintage Yves Saint Laurent 1980s ' Rive Gauche ' Black + White Leaf Dress & Sash
By Yves Saint Laurent
Located in San Diego, CA
Beautiful vintage YSL "Rive Gauche" black and white silk dress! Wonderful leaves printed throughout, w/ tiny leaves surrounding the large ones. Comes with matching sash belt. Ruffles...
Vintage Yves Saint Laurent ' Rive Gauche ' Short Sleeve Belted Black Linen Dress
By Yves Saint Laurent
Located in San Diego, CA
Superb vintage YSL "Rive Gauche" black double-faced linen dress, w/ detachable tie belt. Functional black + gold buttons down the front, w/ hidden hook and eye closure at bust + wais...
1980s Yves Saint Laurent YSL Rive Gauche Black Lace Corset & Chiffon Skirt
By Yves Saint Laurent
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Late 1980's Saint Laurent Rive Gauche corset and skirt ensemble. Corset a has black lace overlay on top of a flesh colored lining. Corset lacing at the front is adjustable to your bo...
1974 YVES SAINT LAURENT black jersey RUNWAY gown with soutache trim
By Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, Yves Saint Laurent
Located in San Fransisco, CA
Very rare Yves Saint Laurent runway dress, 1974 A rare and important example of Saint Laurent’s Moroccan-inspired designs from the mid-1970's. This black maxi dress was shown on the...
Vintage Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche Sz 44 Black Corset / Bustier Dress YSL
By Yves Saint Laurent
Located in San Diego, CA
Drop dead gorgeous vintage Yves Saint Laurent 'Rive Gauche' YSL black dress! Quite possibly the most flattering dress I have ever seen! This rare beauty does wonders for the body! Co...
S/S 1983 Saint Laurent Rive Gauche Runway Ad Black 'Le Smoking' Tuxedo Dress
By Saint Laurent
Located in West Hollywood, CA
This iconic black "Le Smoking" tuxedo dress from Saint Laurent Rive Gauche's Spring/Summer 1983 collection features a classic double-breasted silhouette, satin peak lapels, and struc...
Yves Saint Laurent rive gauche silk leopard print dress
By Yves Saint Laurent
Located in New York, NY
Yves Saint Laurent silk crepe de chine leopard print dress. On the front, there is a 'off-centered front fold-over slit (17 1/2 inches;) 3 3/4 inches; wide over flap. Back center zip...
Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche Vintage Graffiti Print Silk Sleeveless Dress
By Yves Saint Laurent
Located in San Diego, CA
Amazing vintage YVES SAINT LAURENT "Rive Gauche" silk graffiti print sleeveless dress! Features an allover graffiti / Asian themed print. Vibrant hues of purple, burgundy, and blue w...
Yves Saint Laurent Tom Ford Black White Plunging Cleavage Cut Out Gown Dress
By Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, Tom Ford for Yves Saint Laurent
Located in San Diego, CA
Sexy and highly collectible museum quality vintage YVES SAINT LAURENT YSL by TOM FORD black and white plunging runway cut-out gown ! Features a soft crepe blend fabric that hugs the ...
Yves Saint Laurent by Tom Ford Fall 2003 Runway Black Silk Chiffon Gown Size 38
By Tom Ford for Yves Saint Laurent, Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche
Located in San Diego, CA
Sensational collectible vintage Fall 2003 YVES SAINT LAURENT Rive Gauche by TOM FORD black silk chiffon long sleeve runway evening gown !
1970s Yves Saint Laurent Black Velvet Wrap Evening Dress with Ruffle Trim
By Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Absolutely breathtaking Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche wrap style maxi evening dress from the 1970s. Black velvet with a lovely silk taffeta textured, pleated ruffle trim at the neck...
1980s Yves Saint Laurent/YSL Black Cocktail Dress
By Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche
Located in Toronto, Ontario
1980s Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche jet black cut velvet cocktail dress. Asymmetrical neckline with long sleeves and rhinestone embellished gold and black buttons. Slightly fitted t...
S/S 2002 Yves Saint Laurent by Tom Ford Runway Jaguar Print Chiffon Wrap Gown
By Tom Ford for Yves Saint Laurent, Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche
Located in West Hollywood, CA
Presenting an incredible jaguar print, Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche's backless gown designed by Tom Ford. From the Spring/Summer 2002 collection, this fabulous cut-out gown debuted...
Yves Saint Laurent Black Silk Hooded Dress
By Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, Yves Saint Laurent
Located in Studio City, CA
1990s Yves Saint Laurent dramatic black silk dress with hood that can be worn up or down. Features shoulder pads, sleeves that zipper at the cuff and closes by means of a zipper at t...
Yves Saint Laurent Runway Fall 2006 Black Caviar Sequin Evening Dress - Size 38
By Yves Saint Laurent, Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Yves Saint Laurent Runway Fall 2006 Black Caviar Sequin Evening Dress - Size 38 This YSL Runway piece from the Fall 2006 Collection was look 32 on the runway and was worn with a whit...
Vintage 90s Yves Saint Laurent Black Silk Velvet Lace Bow Cocktail Dress YSL LBD
By Yves Saint Laurent, Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche
Located in San Diego, CA
Marked Size: FR 38 Bust: 34 inches Waist: 28 inches Hips: 38 inches Length (top back shoulder to hem): 39 inches An elegant early 1990s Yves Saint Laurent YSL Rive Gauche cocktail ...
Yves Saint Laurent Fall 1988 Black One-Shoulder Textured Bow Dress Vintage YSL
By Yves Saint Laurent, Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche
Located in San Diego, CA
A dramatic and architectural Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche cocktail dress from the Fall/Winter 1988 collection, featuring Saint Laurent’s signature late 1980s sculptural bow shoulde...
Yves Saint Laurent Sexy Two Piece Black Velvet Cocktail Dress
By Yves Saint Laurent, Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche
Located in New Hope, PA
Yves Saint Laurent designed this sexy two piece black velvet and black faille dress with a halter neckline and a boned bodice lined in black satin. The top has a left side zipper an...
Yves Saint Laurent Cocktail Dress with Diamanté Detail
By Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche
Located in New York, NY
Yves Saint Laurent, rive gauche, black, satin back crêpe, shift, having a high v neckline and open seam, sleeve detail, embellished with diamanté buttons.
Yves Saint Laurent One Shoulder Cocktail Dress
By Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche
Located in New York, NY
Yves Saint Laurent, Rive Gauche, one shoulder, black matellase, cocktail dress having a subtle, lurex, textured sheen. Dress has a fitted bias cut, bodice, with a slightly dropped ga...
Vintage Yves Saint Laurent 1990s Black Metallic Tinsel Off - Shoulder 90s Dress
By Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, Yves Saint Laurent
Located in San Diego, CA
Gorgeous vintage early 90s YVES SAINT LAURENT YSL Rive Gauche off the shoulder metallic tinsel sweater dress ! At first glance, this looks like a sequined dress. However, it is reall...
1980s Yves Saint Laurent Black Short Sleeve Large Size Belted Vintage 80s Dress
By Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, Yves Saint Laurent
Located in San Diego, CA
Chic and classic early 1980s YVES SAINT LAURENT YSL Rive Gauche black short sleeve belted dress ! Features buttons up the entire front of the dress. Pockets at each side of the hips....
Yves Saint Laurent 1980s Black and White Abstract Flower Print Silk Crepe Dress
By Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, Yves Saint Laurent
Located in San Diego, CA
Chic vintage 80s YVES SAINT LAURENT YSL Rive Gauche black and white abstract flower print long sleeve silk crepe dress ! Features a tailored bodice with hidden metal zipper up the si...
Fall 1983 Yves Saint Laurent Ad Campaign Black Velvet Dress with Jewel Buttons
By Yves Saint Laurent, Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche
Located in Munich, DE
Oh! Jackie is delighted to offer this sophisticated Fall 1983 Yves Saint Laurent little black dress. This dress is extra special as it was photographed by Helmut Newton for that sea...
Yves Saint Laurent vintage bustier dress, 1980s
By Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche
Located in New York, NY
Yves Saint Laurent vintage bustier dress Size – FR38 Length – 70 cm Armpit to armpit – 38 cm Waist – 60 cm (the fabric stretches) Hips – 86 cm (the fabric stretches) Fabric – 6...
1990's YVES SAINT LAURENT red cotton dress with black grosgrain trim
By Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, Yves Saint Laurent
Located in San Fransisco, CA
This Saint Laurent Rive Gauche mini dress dating to the 1990's features a vibrant red body accented by striking black grosgrain ribbon trim. The design includes wide shoulder straps,...
Tom Ford for Yves Saint Laurent Black Rayon Jersey Knit Vintage Sleeveless Gown
By Tom Ford, Tom Ford for Yves Saint Laurent
Located in San Diego, CA
Exquisite vintage early 2000s TOM FORD for YVES SAINT LAURENT Rive Gauche black rayon jersey evening gown ! Features ruched detail above the back rear.
Tom Ford for Yves Saint Laurent F/W 2002 Black Sequin Embellished Dress Fr. 38
By Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, Tom Ford for Yves Saint Laurent
Located in Montgomery, TX
Tom Ford for Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche Evening Embellished Dress F/W 2002 Collection - Very Rare Find !!! French size - 38 Black silk fully embellished with sequins, and each se...
NWT F/W 2002 Yves Saint Laurent by Tom Ford Sheer Black Chiffon Poets Dress
By Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, Tom Ford for Yves Saint Laurent
Located in West Hollywood, CA
This Yves Saint Laurent black sheer chiffon poet dress from Fall/Winter 2002, designed by Tom Ford, features a square neckline, sheer paneling, and voluminous sleeves with tie cuffs....
1998 YVES SAINT LAURENT black draped strapless RUNWAY dress with lace
By Yves Saint Laurent, Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche
Located in San Fransisco, CA
Yves Saint Laurent strapless cocktail dress from 1998 as seen on the fall runway. Made in black with an asymmetrical wrap front that ties at the hip, the dress reveals an inset of me...
1980s Yves Saint Laurent Blue Black Floral Print Vintage 80s Silk Dress Size 42
By Yves Saint Laurent, Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche
Located in San Diego, CA
Amazing 1980s YVES SAINT LAURENT YSL Rive Gauche blue and black floral / rose print short sleeve silk dress ! Pockets at each side of the waist. Features a vibrant blue flowers and r...
F/W 2002 Yves Saint Laurent by Tom Ford Black Silk Tulle Plunging Runway Dress
By Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, Tom Ford for Yves Saint Laurent
Located in West Hollywood, CA
Presenting a fabulous black pleated Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche dress, designed by Tom Ford. From the Fall/Winter 2002 collection, this dress is constructed of semi-sheer layered ...
F/W 2002 Vintage Tom Ford for Yves Saint Laurent Black Leather Velvet Dress 36-4
By Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, Tom Ford for Yves Saint Laurent
Located in Montgomery, TX
Vintage Tom Ford for Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche Black Embellished Dress - Super Rare !!! F/W 2002 Runway Collection FR Size 36 - US 4 Black Genuine Leather, Rich Black Velvet App...
S/S 2001 Yves Saint Laurent by Tom Ford Pleated Black Silk Skirt Top Set
By Tom Ford for Yves Saint Laurent, Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche
Located in West Hollywood, CA
Presenting a ruffled Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche skirt set designed by Tom Ford for his first collection at YSL, Spring/Summer 2001. Ford reworked essential Yves Saint Laurent des...
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.
With entire museum exhibitions dedicated to examining fashion designers and their creations, we’re finally recognizing that costuming is art. Evening dresses over time have conveyed specific statements about social class, position and beliefs. Fashion is a powerful means of self-expression, and sophisticated vintage evening dresses and gowns by our favorite couturier play no small role in making us feel wonderful but, perhaps more importantly, making us feel like ourselves.
In the 16th century, dresses and gowns were so important that England's Queen Elizabeth I defined rules about what dresses women could wear — guidance included long skirts and fitted bodices. Forward-thinking designers have responded to this history.
Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel reimagined traditionally masculine garments for feminine shapes, and her elegant evening dresses and gowns promoted comfort and grace in women’s wear that had been dominated in the previous century by layers of fabric. Christian Dior's gowns celebrated luxury and femininity in the late 1940s — and gave to women the gift of glamour they’d lost in the miserable years of the war. French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent introduced innovative and highly coveted dress designs in the 1960s while at the same time challenging sexist stereotypes about which members of society could wear tuxedos.
Works by unconventional British designer John Galliano — featured in houses like Givenchy and Dior — redefined limits that dressmakers faced in terms of material, construction and vision during the late 20th century. From his embroidered absinthe-green Oscars gown for actress Nicole Kidman to the iconic sleeveless Dior newspaper dress that Sex and the City’s Carrie Bradshaw made famous, Galliano’s intricate and multifaceted work is reliably collectible and newsworthy
Today’s designers target an increasingly broad audience with their boundary-crossing work, and their tendency to play off of each other’s ideas means that every walk down the runway is also a walk through an entire history of fashion design and dress craftsmanship.
Whether you gravitate toward backless maxi dresses or silk charmeuse gowns by Alexander McQueen or embellished, ruffled floral-print designs by Chloe or Versace, there is an extraordinary collection of vintage and designer evening dresses and gowns waiting for you on 1stDibs.