Vintage Yves Saint Laurent Black Leather Beret
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: one size, see measurements (NA)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Boca Raton, FL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU73019809552
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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Boca Raton, FL
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 2 days of delivery.
- Vintage Emillio Pucci Woven Straw Tan Hat with BowBy Emilio PucciLocated in Boca Raton, FLA 1960s Pucci hat. Excellent condition. Measurements: Hat: 11 inch circle Brim: 2 inches Crown: 2 inches Inner circumference: 21 inches Bow: 7 inche...Category
1960s Italian Hats
- Vintage Mary McFadden Five Strand Wood Bead Tassel Belt with BoxBy Mary McFaddenLocated in Boca Raton, FLThis Mary McFadden Belt comes to you in new condition with original box. The front of the belt has 5 strands, that fasten with a large wood bead. Th...Category
Late 20th Century Unknown Belts
- 1990s Chanel Silk Gripoix CC Logo Print Heels Vintage Size 35.5 / 5.5By ChanelLocated in Boca Raton, FLAs early as the 1920s, Coco Chanel was keenly interested in Byzantine jewelry as an accessory to contemporary fashion. The obvious limitations in acquiring ancient pieces prompted he...Category
1990s French Shoes
- Yves Saint Laurent Red Straw Back Patent Lucite trim Hat, 1970sBy Yves Saint LaurentLocated in Boca Raton, FLAccessory designs are intended to add the finishing touches or accrue shock value. By combining various fabrics, embellishments, and textures, Saint Laurent was a master of accessories on and off the...Category
1970s French Hats
- Yves Saint Laurent Leather Grommet BeltBy Yves Saint LaurentLocated in Boca Raton, FLBrown leather and gold grommet detail Yves Saint Laurent belt Excellent condiiton Size estimate: XS/S Measurements: Width at center widest point: 4.3/4 inches Narrowest width close ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Belts
- Heart HeadpieceBy BashaLocated in Boca Raton, FLSculptural heart headband. Handmade with Swarovski crystal beads in hues of royal blue, emerald green and jet black.Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Hats
- John Galliano navy angora beret hat, fw 1989By John GallianoLocated in Melbourne, AUThis John Galliano beret is from the fall-winter 1989 ‘Hairclips’ collection. Made from angora fur, this beret is not only beautiful but incredibly soft to the touch, providing a lux...Category
1980s British Berets
- HERMES ivory paper EMMA Cap Hat 57By HermèsLocated in Zürich, CH100% authentic Hermès Emma cap in off-white braided paper (with 19% polyester). Featuring and "H vagues" woven band on the interior and "H vagues" detail on the back. Lacquered Clou ...Category
2010s French Berets
- HERMES Sienne chestnut brown grained leather Bucket Hat 57By HermèsLocated in Zürich, CH100% authentic Hermès Bucket Hat in Sienne chestnut brown grained leather. Has been worn and shows some wear on the lining. Overall in very good cond...Category
2010s French Berets
- Vintage 50s-60s Lattice Rhinestone TiaraLocated in Greenport, NYVintage 1950s/60s Lattice Rhinestone Tiara Beautiful vintage lattice design rhinestone tiara circa 1950s - 60s. Perfect accessory for a special...Category
1950s Berets
- Lenci Art Deco Pieced HatBy LenciLocated in New York, NYThe Italian doll company Lenci occassionally made small fashion accessories such as this beret from the 1930's. This elaborate patterning is highly evocat...Category
1930s Italian Berets
- Lenci Art Deco Cubist Wool BeretLocated in New York, NYThe Italian doll company Lenci occasionally made small fashion accessories such as this beret from the 1930's. This elaborate hand pieced patterning is hi...Category
1930s Italian Berets
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.