Yves Saint Laurent Sheath Dress
View Similar Items
Yves Saint Laurent Sheath Dress
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: 40 (EU)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Los Angeles, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU583312845772
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.
- Givenchy Studded Lace DressBy GivenchyLocated in Los Angeles, CAStudded Lace Dress by Givenchy Made in France Black Lace mesh sleeves and top detail Black trim detail Mini dress style Large silk bow detail around colla...Category
2010s French Day Dresses
- Pierre Cardin Tunic Dress (1960’s)By Pierre CardinLocated in Los Angeles, CAPierre Cardin Double Layer Shift Dress Vintage Circa 1960's Burgundy velvet sleeveless over tunic Gold lurex dress under tunic Geometric print mi...Category
1960s American Day Dresses
- Azzedine Alaia “New Look” DressBy Azzedine AlaïaLocated in Los Angeles, CAAzzedine Alaïa Dress Made in Italy Blue knit fabric Sculptural 3-D knit at bodice Geometric print throughout knit fabric of skirt Boat neckline Full "New Look...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Day Dresses
- Chanel Shirtdress SS2009By Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld for ChanelLocated in Los Angeles, CAVintage Chanel by Karl Lagerfeld Shirtdress Spring / Summer 2009 Ready-to-Wear Collection Look 13 Made in France Ivory Black and white geometric stitch detailing Asymmetrical b...Category
Early 2000s French Day Dresses
$2,495 - Vintage Norman Norell Polka-Dot DressBy Norman NorellLocated in Los Angeles, CAProduct Details: Vintage long sleeve polka-dot dress by Norman Norell Multicolor polka-dots Long sleeve dress High neck Wrap scarf design with snap closure Pleated waist Button ...Category
Late 20th Century American Day Dresses
- Moschino Text Print DressBy MoschinoLocated in Los Angeles, CAText print dress by Moschino Cheap and Chic Shift dress Blue and white striped graphic print Round neck Sleeveless Zip back closure Made in France Con...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Day 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 1968 Gucci Couture Cotton-Pique Striped Ivory Pink Mini Tunic DressBy GucciLocated in Beverly Hills, CAEarlier Gucci garments are very hard to come by and this mini dress is breathtaking! Perfect for any upcoming event; you can't help but feel ultra chic in ...Category
1960s Italian Aesthetic Day Dresses
- 1970s Pink Cottage Floral Printed and Flocked DressLocated in San Francisco, CA1970s Pink cotton voile cottage dress printed with pink and green roses flocked for texture. The square neckline and princess cut bodice is finished wit...Category
1970s Day Dresses
$199 Sale Price20% Off - 1920S Cream Silk Chiffon & Antique Lace Pintuck Stripe Dress With Little RufflesLocated in New York, NY1920S Cream Silk Chiffon & Antique Lace Pintuck Stripe Dress With Little RufflesCategory
1920s Casual Dresses
- 1920S Pink Floral Silk Chiffon Fully Lined Dress With Lace & Ribbon Ruffles SmLocated in New York, NY1920S Pink Floral Silk Chiffon Fully Lined Dress With Lace & Ribbon Ruffles Small RosesCategory
1920s Casual Dresses
- 1960S Black & White Silk Duchess Satin Chantilly Lace Long Sleeve Cocktail DresLocated in New York, NYVery well made out of couture quality materials, fully lined in silk. Few small areas of wear to the satin. 1960S Black & White Silk Duchess Satin Chantilly Lace Long Sleeve Cocktail...Category
1960s Cocktail 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.