1960s Yves Saint Laurent Color Block Silk Scarf
View Similar Items
1960s Yves Saint Laurent Color Block Silk Scarf
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Material Notes:Silk
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Scottsdale, AZ
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU16723714483
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.
- Hermes Mexique Scarf Circa 1985By Hermès, Caty LathamLocated in Scottsdale, AZThe most spectacular Hermes silk printed scarf designed by Caty Latham in 1985! Hermes honors Mexico's ancient Mayan culture with graphics of totems, fea...Category
1980s French Scarves
- Hermes 'Turqueries En L'honneur De Mr Le T' ScarfBy HermèsLocated in Scottsdale, AZFeel like royalty in this stunning Hermes silk scarf designed by J.C Donnadieu in 2003. This gorgeous scarf features hues of red, blue, and gold sitting on a beautiful white backdrop...Category
Early 2000s French Scarves
- 1970s Loris Azzaro "Tree of Life"Silk ScarfBy Loris AzzaroLocated in Scottsdale, AZBeautiful and Rare 70's Loris Azzaro silk scarf in rich colors of gold, coral, black, red, and browns. This scarf has a print that reminds me of a "Tree of Life" hand rolled edges. ...Category
1970s Italian Scarves
- Gucci Blue Floral Silk Scarf, 1980sBy GucciLocated in Scottsdale, AZRock a statement scarf with our incredible 1980s Gucci blue floral silk scarf! Solf silk fabric printed with a brilliant floral pattern in shades of ...Category
1980s Italian Scarves
- Emilio Pucci Pink & Blue Abstract ScarfBy Emilio PucciLocated in Scottsdale, AZAdd this Pucci to your collection! Circa 1960s, this adorable cotton scarf features one of Pucci's signature abstract geometric designs with contrasting shades of blue and pink. Geom...Category
1960s Italian Scarves
- Gucci 1980s Fish Motif Silk ScarfBy GucciLocated in Scottsdale, AZAdd this amazing vintage piece to your collection! Circa 1980s, this amazing teal Gucci Silk scarf features a vibrant multi-colored fish motif in the center...Category
1980s Italian Scarves
- Hermès Chocs en Plumes ScarfBy HermèsLocated in West Hollywood, CAHermès navy silk twill Chocs en Plumes scarf with gold chain and color block stripe detail. Hand-rolled edges. Minor wear.Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Scarves
- Emilio Pucci Silk Twill Eagle Print ScarfBy Emilio PucciLocated in West Hollywood, CAPucci silk twill purple geometric print scarf with gold center eagle. Hand rolled edges. Does not include box.Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Scarves
- Silk Escada Scarf Purple - Paisley Snake Print New, Never worn -1990'sBy EscadaLocated in Wallkill, NYSilk Escada Scarf Purchased in the early 90s at Neiman Marcus. Paisley Snake Print. Purple tones. Stored away till now, never worn. Over sized. Measuring ...Category
Late 20th Century Italian Scarves
- Hermès Red Brides de Gala 54" Silk Oversize ShawlBy HermèsLocated in West Hollywood, CAHermès Brides de Gala red and purple silk shawl. Hand-rolled edges. Box not included.Category
21st Century and Contemporary Scarves
- Hermes Collectible Umbrellas Silk ScarfBy HermèsLocated in West Hollywood, CAHermes collectible umbrellas silk scarf in blue and yellow. Hand rolled edges. No box included.Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Scarves
- New Chanel Blue and Gold Silk Stole ShawlBy ChanelLocated in West Hollywood, CAChanel long stole with blue and gold design. Hand rolled edges.Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Scarves
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.