Saint Laurent Black and White Geometric Dress
View Similar Items
Saint Laurent Black and White Geometric Dress
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Geneva, CH
- Reference Number:Seller: BdLYSLSME0705211stDibs: LU529312115512
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. Under creative director Hedi Slimane, the house’s ready-to-wear collection was rebranded as Saint Laurent in 2012.
Browse an extraordinary collection of vintage Saint Laurent evening dresses, shirts, handbags and other clothing and accessories today on 1stDibs.
- Azzedine Alaïa Greige Knit Mesh Sleeveless DressBy Azzedine AlaïaLocated in Geneva, CHThis pre-owned flare sleeveless dress from Azzedine Alaïa is a timeless shape and design. It is crafted in a delicate greige color knit mesh fabric. The neckline is V-shape and the w...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Day Dresses
- Dolce & Gabbana Animal Print Silk Sleeveless DressBy Dolce & GabbanaLocated in Geneva, CHThis pre-owned dress from the house of Dolce & Gabbana is crafted in a beautiful iconic animal print silk. It features a drappé in the front down the waistline and is sleeveless. Fa...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Cocktail Dresses
$686 Sale Price20% Off - Christian Dior Fall 2008 Black and Off-white Houndstooth Dress by John GallianoBy Christian DiorLocated in Geneva, CHThis pre-owned in very good condition dress was part of the Fall 2008 collection designed by John Galliano. It is crafted in a beautiful houndstooth wool fabric and is trimmed with b...Category
Early 2000s French Day Dresses
- Christian Dior SS 2019 Lily of the Valley Print Tulle DressBy Christian DiorLocated in Geneva, CHThe lily of the valley was Mr. Christian Dior’s favorite flower and one of his lucky charms. He dedicated his whole Spring 1954 collection to his favorite flower. For the Spring Summ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Day Dresses
$3,036 Sale Price20% Off - Chanel Fall Winter 2011 Black and White Bouclette Knit DressBy ChanelLocated in Geneva, CHBeautiful piece from the Chanel Fall Winter 2011 Collection. Classic cut from the front and quite contemporary from the back. Made from a bouclette ...Category
2010s Italian Day Dresses
- Christian Dior Fitted and Flared Green DressBy Christian DiorLocated in Geneva, CHStunning in its simplicity Chrsitian Dior fit and flare dress with flounces at side. It features a hidden back zipper. Collection: 2000’s Fabric: 100% wool ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Day Dresses
$792 Sale Price20% Off
- 1950s White with Red Polka Dot Day DressLocated in San Francisco, CA1950s white cotton day dress featuring a red polka dot print, puritan collar, bric-a-brac trim, front button closure, plastic buttons, and a matching pla...Category
1950s Day Dresses
$140 Sale Price20% Off - 1940S OMAR KIAM Dove Grey Cotton Elaborately Embroidered Summer Gown With ShoulLocated in New York, NY1940S OMAR KIAM Dove Grey Cotton Elaborately Embroidered Summer Gown With Shoulder & Waist TiesCategory
1940s Formal Gowns
- Vintage Hardy Amies Day DressBy Hardy AmiesLocated in London, GBA chic vintage Hardy Amies day dress in a ivory and black check. The dress has a double frill collar, and elbow length sleaves. Measurements: Bust ...Category
1960s British Day Dresses
- Missoni Silk Jersey DressBy M Missoni, MissoniLocated in London, GBA lovely dress for late summer by Missoni. In a silk jersey fabric, the dress has an ivory background with a blue , black , green and caramel colour print....Category
2010s Italian Day Dresses
- 1930s Pastel Floral Print Day DressLocated in Alford, MAFloral voile 1930s day dress in pastel colors. Sleeveless bodice has capelet effect with ruffle border and ties that fit through tab. Paneled skirt flares at sides. Slips over the he...Category
1930s American Day Dresses
- 1950's American Western Wear Two Piece Patio DressLocated in Atlanta, GAPatio dresses came into fashion from the 1940's through the 1950's and incorporated Native American motifs with the casual style of a day dress for a distinct Western wear...Category
1950s American Casual Dresses
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.
This Golden Saint Laurent Handbag Feels Like a Disco-Era Throwback (in the Best Way Possible)
If you're looking for an accessory that brings the party, this is it.