Yves Saint Laurent 1970's Chain Waist Belt
About the Item
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Waist: 30 in (76.2 cm)
- Style:1970s (Of the Period)
- Period:
- Material Notes:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Some tarnishing and minor surface scratches throughout.
- Seller Location:Sheffield, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU3407218984802
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: Sheffield, United Kingdom
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
- Christian Dior 1970'S Trotter Monogram Buckle BeltBy Christian DiorLocated in Sheffield, GBA 1970's CHRISTIAN DIOR belt, featuring the iconinc 1970's Trotter monogram in black & cream, with large enamelled 'CD' buckle. Features; Iconic Dior 'Trotter' print Large 'CD' buckle Sizing; Waist...Category
1970s French Belts
- 1990's Vintage Moschino 'Ciao Ciao Ciao' Letter Black & Gold Leather Waist BeltBy Moschino, Franco MoschinoLocated in Sheffield, GBCharming Vintage 1990's Moschino 'Ciao Ciao Ciao' gold letter leather belt. A fun play on the classic 'MOSCHINO' letter belt with an Italian twist. MADE IN ITALY ! Features: 'CIA...Category
20th Century Italian Waist Belts
- John Galliano Signature Gothic Waist BeltBy John GallianoLocated in Sheffield, GBEarly 2000's John Galliano waist belt, with the iconic & gothic 'Galliano' branding. Features silver velvet ribbon, removable decorative pin badges and gar...Category
20th Century Italian Waist Belts
- Iconic 90's Moschino Spell out Gold Letter Leather Waist Belt in Black & GoldBy MoschinoLocated in Sheffield, GBSuperb, Vintage 1990's Moschino 'MOSCHINO' iconic gold tone letter belt. Complete with dust bag and original labels. Features: 'MOSCHINO' Lettering Made in Italy 100% Leather Siz...Category
1990s Italian Waist Belts
- 1990's Moschino Vintage 'Summer Time' Gold Letter Black Leather Waist BeltBy Moschino, Franco MoschinoLocated in Sheffield, GBFun, Vintage 1990's Moschino 'SUMMER TIME' gold tone letter belt. A fun alternative to the classic 'MOSCHINO' letter belt by the Maison. MADE IN ITALY Redwall. Features: 'Summer Ti...Category
20th Century Italian Waist Belts
- Rare Moschino 1990's Supermarket Advertising Slogan Colourful Patterned JeansBy Moschino, Franco MoschinoLocated in Sheffield, GBIncredible Vintage 1990's, Rare Moschino Jeans in a Vibrantly coloured supermarket advertisements print throughout with tongue in cheek 'Moschino Market' slogans. MADE IN ITALY. Fe...Category
1990s Italian Jeans
- 1960's Pierre Cardin Vintage White Leather Waist BeltBy Pierre CardinLocated in North Hollywood, CA1960's Pierre Cardin Vintage White Leather Waist Belt. Cowhide leather belt with brass Logo buckle. Midcentury skinny white leather belt made of aniline cowhide, lined with aniline cowhide. Gold-tone pin buckle with cream & gold Pierre Cardin logo. Vintage condition. some wear. See all pics. Size M Full length: 36” Width: 1” Buckle: 1.25” H x 2” W This vintage Pierre Cardin belt...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Waist Belts
- Gucci by Tom Ford 2003 cognac genuine leather corset belt 42By Tom Ford for GucciLocated in Berlin, BEF/W 2003 Tom Ford Gucci, rare find, genuine leather, cognac color, size 42 IT. Perfect condition.Category
Early 2000s Italian Waist Belts
- Extremely Rare Vintage Chanel Coco Plate BeltBy ChanelLocated in Hoffman Estates, ILExtremely rare and hard to find vintage Chanel belt, features Logos " 31 Rue Cambon 19 5 Coco Chanel Paris" and CC logos. Specifications: Adjustab...Category
1980s French Waist Belts
- ALAÏA SS 1992 teal laser cut leather runway BeltBy Azzedine AlaïaLocated in Genève, CHThis teal belt dating from SS 1992 runway is an ideal way to incorporate one of Alaïa’s key codes into your everyday wardrobe. It's made from smooth leather, w...Category
1990s French Belts
- Chanel 2021 CC Rhinestones Chain Guntmetal Silver Waist Chain or NecklaceBy ChanelLocated in PUTNEY, NSWElevate your style to the pinnacle of luxury with the Chanel 2021 CC Rhinestones Chain in Gunmetal Silver, a versatile piece that effortlessly transforms into a stunning waist chain ...Category
2010s Waist Belts
- Loris Azzaro Brown Suede Gold LA Heart Logo Waistbelt 1970sBy Loris AzzaroLocated in AMSTERDAM, NLVintage brown suede Loris Azzaro LA gold heart logo waistbelt from the 1970s. The hammered golden heart with Loris Azzaro’s initials L.A. designed into it. Loris Azzaro is known for ...Category
1970s French Belts
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.