1970s Yves Saint Laurent Red Cotton Bell Sleeve Blouse
View Similar Items
1970s Yves Saint Laurent Red Cotton Bell Sleeve Blouse
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Length: 22 in (55.88 cm)Marked Size: 4 (US)Bust: 32 in (81.28 cm)Waist: 26 in (66.04 cm)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU5509435912
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.
- 1990s Escada Navy Embroidered Fruit Salad TopBy EscadaLocated in London, GBThis is a really fun 1990s piece by Escada when they were very high profile and considered a luxury brand. The novelty 'fruit salad' design is of embroidered motifs that represent st...Category
1990s Italian Blouses
- 1980s Halston Black Label Iridescent Beaded Tunic with BeltBy HalstonLocated in London, GBThis magnificent Halston black label top is from one of his mainline collections circa 1980 - 1984. This period was amongst the most opulent for the designer and many of his designs...Category
1980s American Blouses
- 1940s Black and Gold Lame BlouseLocated in London, GBThis is an original 1940s black crepe blouse with a striking metallic gold swirl design. One of the best cocktail separates we've ever had, with a dropped shoulder, a gentle draping ...Category
1940s American Blouses
- 1950s Christian Dior White Cotton BlouseBy Christian DiorLocated in London, GBA very pretty 1950s white cotton organza Christian Dior blouse. This is an early surviving example of Christian Dior-New York Inc Day Wear. It is made of a wonderful quality cotton o...Category
1950s American Blouses
- 1970s Ossie Clark Navy Floral Print Blouse with Celia Birtwell PrintBy Ossie ClarkLocated in London, GBThis is a phenomenal 1970s Ossie Clark boutique blouse with an important and well documented print by Celia Birtwell. It is fully labelled and additionally has the Quorum boutique retail label which sold Ossie's costly mainline collections - they are much rarer than Radley retailed pieces. There are some wonderful softer design details in this blouse from the puff sleeves to the long tapered cuffs and the gathered yoke giving it a loose romantic poet's style aesthetic as the blouse is without darts. The print is a very beautiful floral design against a navy background in quality rayon fabric. This is a remarkable piece of fashion history and has been in my personal collection for years but it is time for someone else to enjoy it. The condition is very good overall. There is slight fade on the sleeve elements of the arm - this is more noticeable on the right side than the left - the photos are a good representation and this never bothered me as it is so slight. Additionally there are two very small, minor grazes on the back towards the top of the neck; not quite holes but the fabric has thinned. They are not noticeable when worn. The last very minor issue is there is a small stress parting along the seam on the left forearm sleeve. This is on the underside and therefore cannot be seen when worn. This has been dry cleaned and is ready to wear and I can be seen modelling this top for a vintage photo...Category
1970s British Blouses
- 1960s Floral Embroidered Silk Blend BlouseLocated in London, GBWe really love these types of blouses and although this one is unlabelled, it was most likely made in the Far East in the 1960s or 1970s. It feels like a silky man-made blend. The en...Category
1960s Blouses
- Nina Ricci Vintage Red Silk Evening Festive Holiday Top With SequinsBy Nina RicciLocated in Portland, ORThis beautiful vintage Nina Ricci top came from an unbelievable estate of only the very best designer clothing. We acquired this estate recently and were so impressed with this woman...Category
1970s Hong Kong Blouses
- 1980s Vintage Escada Silk Novelty Shoe Blouse in Red Pink and GoldBy Escada, Escada Margaretha LeyLocated in Portland, ORThis fun Escada vintage silk blouse was designed by Margaretha Ley in the 1980's. The blouse is in a red and gold novelty print silk with pointed ...Category
1980s German Blouses
$173 Sale Price65% Off - Louis Feraud Vintage Red Silk Satin Ruffled BlouseBy Louis Feraud Paris, Louis FeraudLocated in Portland, ORThis vintage 1980's Louis Feraud Blouse is in a gorgeous red silk satin and features pretty ruffles and ties. This top has just the right amount of drama with a ruffled collar and red ball buttons down the center front. Each sleeve has three strips of ruffles going from the shoulders to the cuffs, which have pretty ties. This is the kind of blouse that adds depth to a wardrobe and it can be worn with so many separates from jeans to evening skirts! This blouse was originally purchased with a black ruffled...Category
1980s French Blouses
- S/S 1997 Gucci by Tom Ford Red Ombré Sheer Silk Oversized Tunic TopBy Tom Ford for Gucci, GucciLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting a beautiful sheer ombré shirt, designed by Tom Ford for Gucci's Spring/Summer 1997 collection. The button closure stops about halfway up the front for a plunging neckline....Category
1990s Italian Blouses and Tops
- S/S 1996 Gucci by Tom Ford Pink Orange Sheer Abstract Watercolor Button Up TopBy Tom Ford for Gucci, GucciLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting a sheer silk button-up top designed by Tom Ford for Gucci's Spring/Summer 1996 collection. This 1970s-inspired collection featured the same blouse in blue in the runway presentation and in the season's ad campaign, shot by Mario Testino. The silk organza features a bright orange, pink and white watercolor print with the Gucci logo...Category
1990s Italian Blouses
- NWT F/W 2003 Gucci by Tom Ford Deep Red Stretch Satin Quilted Corset Tie BlouseBy Tom Ford for Gucci, GucciLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting a vibrant red silk satin Gucci blouse designed by Tom Ford. From the Fall/Winter 2003 collection, this beautiful top features quilted details on the body creating a corset...Category
Early 2000s Italian Blouses
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.