Yves Saint Laurent 1980s Black Wool Cape
View Similar Items
Yves Saint Laurent 1980s Black Wool Cape
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Length: 46 in (116.84 cm)Shoulder to Hem: 16 in (40.64 cm)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Scottsdale, AZ
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU16728113982
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.
- Purple Mongolian Lamb 1980s Oversized Fur JacketLocated in Scottsdale, AZTake on the cold weather in style! Circa 1980s, this oversized jacket is made of soft purple dyed Mongolian lamb and features a tonal rabbit fur trim around the entire hem and cuffs....Category
1980s Unknown Fur Puffer Coats
- Gucci Alpaca Fringe Knit PonchoBy GucciLocated in Scottsdale, AZAre you ready to make a bold and stylish statement this season? Look no further than the exquisite Gucci Alpaca Fringe Knit Poncho in elegant grey. This e...Category
2010s Italian Ponchos
- Revillon Mongolian Lamb Fur CoatBy RevillonLocated in Scottsdale, AZTake on the cold weather in style! Circa 1980s, this oversized jacket is made of soft blac dyed Mongolian lamb and features a tonal rabbit fur trim around the entire hem and cuffs. Includes two hook and eye closures and invisible pockets. Interior is fully lined in black fabric (poly-blend). The perfect winter jacket to elevate your whole look and keep you cozy! Pair this cool fur coat with Tom Ford Gucci...Category
1980s American Coats and Outerwear
- AAllard De Megeve 1980s Ski OutfitLocated in Scottsdale, AZKeep cozy on all your snowy Alps getaway's with this great AAllard De Megeve set ! Featured in Gorsuch catalogue Aspen and Vail. Circa 1980s, this jacket and pant set are crafted from leather and feature an all-over animal print pattern with black leather pipping. Jacket features a motorcycle style with dolman sleeves, a notched fur collar, diagonal zipper pockets and zipper cuffs. Pants feature a cigarette silhouette with stirrups(how amazing) Both jacket and pants are lined with wool for extra warmth. Funky and timeless, this set looks great together or separate and will pair perfectly with your favorite Chanel ski boots...Category
1980s French Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Gucci Macro GG Diamond Wool JacketBy GucciLocated in Scottsdale, AZAmazing 100% wool Gucci jacket in Gucci's iconic GG monogram. Featuring a central zipper, side pockets, and ribbed cuffs at the sleeves completed by a nylon windbreaker style hood wh...Category
2010s Italian Coats
- John Anthony Black Sequin JacketBy John AnthonyLocated in Scottsdale, AZSnag this beautiful piece of John Anthony today! This is a very rare one of a kind and unique find that you need in your wardrobe! Zoom in on this jacket to not miss the intricate details. This is a highly textured black satin material is covered in beautiful black beading. It has a mock-neck collar with an optional hook closure, a mid-length, and a 3/4 arm length with wide sleeves. Pair this great jacket with Louis Vuitton heels, and a Balenciaga dress with an interesting and modern silhouette. About the designer: John Anthony founded John Anthony, Inc in 1971 after attending Academia delle Belle Arti in Rome, and the Fashion Institute of Technology. He had high-profile clients like the wives of U.S. presidents, including Betty Ford...Category
1980s Italian Jackets
- Art Deco 7 Ft. Black Silk Manila Piano Shawl With White Floral EmbroideryLocated in New York, NYArt Deco black silk piano shawl hand embroidered with white silk floral design and 12" hand knotted silk fringe. The shawl is visually beautiful, soft...Category
Early 20th Century Philippine Shawls
- Rare Original Issey Miyake Black Wool Butterfly CoatBy Issey MiyakeLocated in New York, NYRare Issey Miyake black wool butterfly coat with original label. Features button closure at front center. One size fits all.Category
Late 20th Century Japanese Coats
- Sophisticated Russian Sable Mid Length Fur Coat with 3/4 Length SleevesLocated in Tustin, CAVery sophisticated and lavish, genuine regal Russian Sable fur coat features a large and very high fashion wide shawl style collar. The fur is a very rich, dark brown with beautiful ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Russian Overcoats
- Louis Vuitton Paris Mink Collar Ladies Black Wool Coat Size 38 US Size 6By Louis VuittonLocated in Tustin, CAElegant designer Louis Vuitton Paris ladies coat features a black wool exterior with a large, opulent black mink fur collar and soft rabbit fur lapel trim. The body of the coat is lined in quilted back polyamide, with black silk lined sleeves and black silk lined slash pockets. The backing of the collar is black silk as well. Lapels are lined in black wool and silk. Coat fastens with 5 sets of hook...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Coats
- Supreme Opulent Russian Sable Fur Stroller Length CoatLocated in Tustin, CAShown as the ultimate symbol of status and elegance, Russian Sable is considered to be the most coveted fur in the world. This Russian sable fur coat...Category
Late 20th Century American Opera Coats
$9,900 Sale Price34% Off - Couture Missoni Plaid Knitted Hooded Wool Cape Cloak with Orange LabelBy MissoniLocated in Tustin, CAColorful, heavy, knitted vintage mohair wool, plaid hooded cape from Italian high end, couture fashion designer, Missoni, features a complementary, color coordinated, striped interio...Category
1980s Italian Capes
$695 Sale Price26% Off
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.