Yves Saint Laurent Chic Embossed Cream Leather Clutch c 1980s
View Similar Items
Yves Saint Laurent Chic Embossed Cream Leather Clutch c 1980s
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Height: 7 in (17.78 cm)Length: 10 in (25.4 cm)
- Style:Mod high fashion (In the Style Of)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Material Notes:The embossed cream color leather clutch is adorned with Saint Laurent's gilt metal Y.S.L. initials The interior is designed with a zippered compartment. Lined in cloth with Saint Laurent's initials
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Very Nice Pre-owned vintage condition.
- Seller Location:University City, MO
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU73615629252
Yves 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.
Browse an extraordinary collection of vintage Yves Saint Laurent evening dresses, shirts, handbags and other clothing and accessories today on 1stDibs.
- Opulent Mother of Pearl Crystal Encrusted Compact Evening Bag by Elgin c 1950sBy ElginLocated in University City, MOOpulent mother of pearl crystal encrusted evening bag- compact case designed by Eligin c 1950s The elegant evening purse - cosmetic case is designed with exotic mother of pearl tiles throughout the exterior The lid cover is encrusted with collection of aquamarine glittering crystals accented with a floral motif in the center. The interior is designed with a pair of rouge & face powder compartments. The gilt metal lid covers are adorned with art deco style leaping gazelles Paired with a brown cloth carrying case suspended from a hand strap The elegant case may be carried as a chic clutch style purse separately without the carrying case Designed by Eligin American Measurements: The length of the mother of pearl case...Category
1950s American Evening Bags and Minaudières
$375 Sale Price21% Off - Saks Fifth Avenue Italian Python Handbag Circa 1980By Saks Fifth AvenueLocated in University City, MOSaks Fifth Avenue Sleek Italian python handbag c 1980s The versatile handbag transitions from a chic clutch Converts to a stylish shoulder bag carried with the gilt metal shoulder st...Category
Late 20th Century Italian Clutches
$375 Sale Price21% Off - Judith Leiber Crystal Jeweled Frog Minaudière c 1980sBy Judith LeiberLocated in University City, MOJudith Leiber Endearing crystal jeweled minaudiere' evening bag c 1980s The beguiling frog is encrusted with elaborate tiny glittering diamante crystals. Adorned with green glass cabochon eyes; accented with gilt metal grooved eye brows The frog's back is embellished with clusters of amethyst; jade green & jet black small glass color cabochons scattered throughout the rows of contiguous brilliant diamante crystals The endearing frog's posture creates the appearance of being on the verge of leaping away... The legs, brows & sides are sheathed in shiny polished gilt metal. The clasp mechanism is distinguished with a green glass opaque cabochon The versatile design transitions from an opulent clutch; converts into an elegant shoulder bag suspended from a sinuous gilt metal chain strap Makes an exquisite accessory for holidays, weddings or any special formal occasions. The charming design merges elegance & whimsy brilliantly The interior is lined in gold metallic foil inscribed on a gilt metal plaque: Judith Leiber. Paired with a gilt metal vanity comb engraved Judith Leiber Measurements The length from the frog's nose to the back edge measures 4.5 inches. The width across the base of the center section measures 3 inches approximately The drop length from top of the chain strap to the base of the frog's extended back leg measures 23.25 inches The jeweled evening bag rest...Category
1980s American Evening Bags and Minaudières
$2,200 Sale Price21% Off - Judith Leiber Exquisite Crystal Encrusted Figural Woman Minaudière circa 1980sBy Judith LeiberLocated in University City, MOJudith Leiber Exquisite crystal encrusted figural woman minaudiere' The opulent gilt metal figural evening bag is designed with an elegant woman's head. Encrusted with contiguous row...Category
Late 20th Century American Evening Bags and Minaudières
$1,875 Sale Price41% Off - Neiman Marcus Burnished Silver Minaudière Evening Bag c 1980sBy Neiman MarcusLocated in University City, MONeiman Marcus burnished silver minaudiere evening bag c 1980s The sleek evening bag has an intentional darkened silver metal patina. Designed with grooved vertical bands on a diagon...Category
1980s Unknown Evening Bags and Minaudières
- Italian Crystal Encrusted Oval Tassel Minaudière circa 1980sLocated in University City, MOItalian crystal encrusted oval tassel evening clutch c 1980s The elegant gilt metal minaudière is embellished with rows of glittering glass crystals on the front exterior A sinuous...Category
Late 20th Century Italian Evening Bags and Minaudières
- Unlabelled Paco Rabanne for Walberg gold and silver discs bag, circa 1960By Paco Rabanne, WalborgLocated in London, GBThe aesthetic of this bag not only mirrors the linear forms so often associated with technology. But also symbolises the clean-edged aggressiveness of the sexual revolution of the 1...Category
1960s Hong Kong Evening Bags and Minaudières
$605 Sale Price29% Off - Hervé Leger Rare Multifaceted Minaudière Metallic Grey Metal and Leather ClutchBy Herve LégerLocated in Miami, FLHervé Leger Rare Multifaceted Minaudière Metallic Grey Metal and Leather Clutch Gunmetal hardware Black leather Multi-faceted metal geometric shape Herve Legerl logo engraved on lat...Category
2010s Clutches
- Chanel Metallic Calf-Hair Boy O Case BagBy ChanelLocated in London, GBChanel Metallic Calf Hair Boy O Case Bag has been hand-finished by skilled artisans in the label's workshop, it is boasting a beautiful metallic calf-hair and calfskin exterior. Made...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Clutches
- Judith Lieber Flower Bouquet Basket Crystal Minaudiere BagBy Judith LeiberLocated in Miami, FLJudith Leiber Flower Bouquet Basket Minaudiere featured in multicolored fine crystal. Beautifully designed as a flower bouquet, the bag has hand p...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Clutches
- 1950s Koret Champagne Seed Pearl Encrusted Evening Clutch w Pearl Studded FrameBy KoretLocated in Gresham, OR1950s Koret Champagne Seed Pearl Encrusted Evening Clutch w Pearl Studded Frame: Pristine condition with satin lining, and original box. Medium size purse...Category
1950s American Clutches
- Hermes Vintage crocodile purse, 1960sBy HermèsLocated in Beverly Hills, CATimeless 1960s Vintage Hermes crocodile purse .. In great condition. 100% authentic. Width: 10.5"/ Height: 6.5"Category
1960s French Evening Bags and Minaudières
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.