Vintage 1978 Yves Saint Laurent Haute Couture Ivory Red Print Silk Dress & Shawl
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Bust: 38 in (96.52 cm)Waist: 28 in (71.12 cm)
- Style:1970s (Of the Period)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Beverly Hills, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU30914883572
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: Beverly Hills, CA
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Vintage 1978 Yves Saint Laurent YSL Haute Couture Ivory Print Silk Dress & ShawlBy Yves Saint LaurentLocated in Beverly Hills, CABreathtaking Yves Saint Laurent designer dress ensemble from his 1978 Spring/Summer collection. Such a rarity to find all three pieces togeth...Category
1970s French Aesthetic Day Dresses
- Vintage 1968 Gucci Couture Cotton-Pique Striped Ivory Pink Mod Mini Tunic DressBy GucciLocated in Beverly Hills, CAEarlier Gucci garments are very hard to come by and this mini dress is breathtaking. As shown, this design from their 1968 collection came in logo, floral ...Category
1960s Italian Aesthetic Evening Dresses
- Vintage 1930's Cartwright Ivory Striped Silk Rayon Cut-Out Maxi Dress & JacketLocated in Beverly Hills, CAThe vibrant rainbow-stripe used on this ivory silk rayon 1930's "Cartwright" designer dress ensemble has a whimsical allure that I find irresistible. The sleeveless bodice has a flir...Category
1930s American Aesthetic Day Dresses
- Vintage 1950's Worth Couture Shocking Pink Floral Print Silk Shawl-Collar DressBy House of WorthLocated in Beverly Hills, CAThis gorgeous House of Worth haute couture cocktail ensemble, dating back to the early 1950-52 time period, is in a class of its own. The House of Worth was an elite French...Category
1950s French Cocktail Dresses
- Vintage 1950's Madame Grès Haute Couture Sculpted Silk Back-Bow Dress & JacketBy Madame GresLocated in Beverly Hills, CAGorgeous and incredibly rare Madame Grès haute couture sculpted black silk dress ensemble dating back to the early 1950's. Madame Grès felt that the true job of the couturier was not to create a name for one's self, as many designers do, but to pay rigorous attention to the clothing. This stunning set has so much detail, you can tell it was made with loving devotion. The alluring bodice has a low-cut scoop neck with flattering short sleeves. My favorite designer element is the dramatic back bow with chic cut-out. The matching jacket has a shawl-like front with a stunning cropped back. I'd wear the jacket alone with other looks for a unique bolero option. The sculpted panel style skirting ,which looks incredibly hard to mold, reads so fresh to the modern eye...Category
1950s French Aesthetic Evening Dresses
- Vintage 1950's Anne Verdi Champagne Sequin Lace & Tulle Bustle Back Bridal DressLocated in Beverly Hills, CAEthereal 1950's Anne Verdi designer champagne lace hourglass cocktail dress from the Old Hollywood era of glamour! The fabric itself is a masterpiece; high-...Category
1950s American Wedding Dresses
- 1960s Geoffrey Beene Ivory Crochet and Black Silk Taffeta Vintage 60s DressBy Geoffrey BeeneLocated in San Diego, CAChic 1960s vintage GEOFFREY BEENE ivory crochet and black silk taffeta Victorian inspired cocktail dress! Ivory crochet bodice is fully lined in nude silk chiffon. Fit n' flare fit w...Category
1960s American Cocktail Dresses
- 1960s White Sheer Embellished Cocktail DressLocated in Beverly Hills, CA1960s Sheer white netting sheath cocktail dress embellished with multi color beads in floral pattern. Size Medium- Large Measurement: Bust : 38” / W: 36”...Category
1960s American Cocktail Dresses
- 1960s Galanos Ivory Off - White Linen Avant Garde Vintage 60s Mod Cream DressBy Galanos, James GalanosLocated in San Diego, CARare early 1960s JAMES GALANOS for Bonwit Teller ivory Irish linen Avant Garde dress ! This gem is seriously a musuem worthy couture piece from Galanos' early work. Couture quality, ...Category
1960s American Cocktail Dresses
- Lisa Howard Vintage White Lace 1960s 60s Rhinestone Buttons Tiered Shift DressLocated in San Diego, CABeautiful 1960s LISA HOWARD white French lace tiered nude illusion dress, with rhinestone buttons! Features two layers of white lace, with a nude illusion ...Category
1960s American Cocktail Dresses
- Pierre Balmain 1950s Haute Couture Cream Jacquard Two Piece Bridal SetBy Pierre BalmainLocated in London, GBThis timeless 1950s New Look style Haute Couture two piece by Pierre Balmain is in impeccable condition with exceptional line and form. The soft cream jacquard fabric is embossed wit...Category
1950s French Vintage Bridal Gowns
- Monique Lhuillier Size 14 Mint Green Ivory Beaded Sequined Mermaid Gown DressBy Monique LhuillierLocated in San Diego, CAEnchanting MONIQUE LHUILLIER light mint green and ivory beaded, sequined, rhinestone, etc. silk and tulle mermaid gown! This beauty only had one owner, and retailed for over $15,000 ...Category
2010s American Evening Gowns
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.