Yves Saint Laurent Red Cotton Belted Dress with Reef Life Pattern Size 38
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Length: 40.5 in (102.87 cm)Marked Size: 38 (EU)Bust: 33 in (83.82 cm)Waist: 26 in (66.04 cm)Hip: 37 in (93.98 cm)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Los Angeles, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU48767492
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: Los Angeles, CA
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- 1960's Pink Multi-Color Floral Raw Silk Dress with Bow Size 2 4Located in Los Angeles, CAThis dress is composed of a white silk with floral print. There is a center back zipper closure with a bow accent and v-back. In excellent vintage condition. **Please cross-ref...Category
1960s American Cocktail Dresses
- 1950's Peach Metallic Lace Short Sleeve Cocktail Dress Size 6Located in Los Angeles, CAThis cocktail dress is composed of a metallic peach hue lace. Features a gathered chiffon waist. There is a center back zipper closure. In great vintage condition. **Please cro...Category
20th Century American Cocktail Dresses
- 1970's Coral Jersey Maxi Gown with Embellished Bust Size 6Located in Los Angeles, CAThis dress is composed of a coral jersey with embellished bust. There is a center back zipper closure. In excellent vintage condition. **Please cross-reference measurements for...Category
1970s American Maxi Dresses
- MISSONI White Orange and Pink Knit Strapless Dress Size 4 6By MissoniLocated in Los Angeles, CAThis Missoni dress is composed of a orange, white, and pink knit. Features a pull over style. In excellent condition. **Please cross-reference measurements for personal accuracy. Si...Category
20th Century Italian Day Dresses
- Rudi Gernreich Vintage Purple Lon Sleeve Mini Dress w/ Tie BeltBy Rudi GernreichLocated in Los Angeles, CASize 10 Measurements: Bust: 36" Waist: 28" Hip:40" Sleeve:31" Length: 34" Sash: 53" long by 4" wide.Category
1960s American Casual Dresses
- Rudi Gernreich Sleeveless Pink Knit Dress w/ Deep V Neck & TieBy Rudi GernreichLocated in Los Angeles, CAQuantity: Two (2) Size 10 Measurements: Bust: 35" Waist: 28" Hip: Full Length: 46"Category
1970s American Day Dresses
- Gianni Versace F/W 2002 Star Flower Collage Print Plunge Neck Fit & Flare DressBy Gianni Versace Couture, Donatella Versace for Gianni VersaceLocated in Chicago, ILDesigned by Donatella Versace for the fall/winter 2002 collection. This Gianni Versace Couture labeled piece features a multicolor psychedelic floral and star cluster pattern, featured in fashion...Category
Early 2000s Italian Cocktail Dresses
- Jean Paul Gaultier Optical Illusion Nude Ethic Trompe l'oeil Vanessa Guide DressBy Jean Paul GaultierLocated in PARIS, FRJean Paul Gaultier Optical Illusion Nude Body Ethic Trompe l'oeil Venus Stiped Mesh Maxi Dress Jean Paul Gaultier Optical Illusion ...Category
1990s Maxi Dresses
- Gianni Versace pink silk, leather and lace halter neck maxi dress, fw 2000By Versace, Gianni VersaceLocated in London, GB▪ Gianni Versace pink halter neck maxi dress ▪ Silk chiffon, leather, and net lace panels ▪ Hatlerneck embellished with crystals ▪ Open low back ▪ Concealed zipper at center back ...Category
Early 2000s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Gucci by Tom Ford pink floral silk shift dress with leather bands, ss 1999By Gucci, Tom Ford for GucciLocated in London, GB▪ Gucci shift dress ▪ Designed by Tom Ford ▪ Pink and red floral printed silk ▪ Black leather waist bands ▪ Flounce hem ▪ Boat neck ▪ IT 42 - FR 38...Category
1990s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Missoni Pink Patterned Knit Skater Dress LBy MissoniLocated in Dubai, Al Qouz 2From the house of Missoni, this dress is a classy piece to own. This skater dress is the right fusion of sophistication and comfort as it smoothly takes you through the day. It is co...Category
2010s Italian Day Dresses
- Ralph Lauren Coral Pink Jersey Sleeveless Jenny Maxi Dress MBy Ralph LaurenLocated in Dubai, Al Qouz 2You can always rely on a Ralph Lauren dress like this one. Be it a day or a night event, you cannot go wrong with this coral pink dress. Quality fabri...Category
2010s French 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.
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.