Yves Saint Laurent Silk Plaid Ensemble 1970's
View Similar Items
Yves Saint Laurent Silk Plaid Ensemble 1970's
About the Item
- Designer:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: 36 (EU)Bust: 32 in (81.28 cm)Waist: 26 in (66.04 cm)Hip: 36 in (91.44 cm)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:top length: 21 inches skirt length: 39 inches.
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU44775432
Yves Saint Laurent
French 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, Saint Laurent 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.
- Samuel Winston Floral Pattern Dress C. 1960By Samuel WinstonLocated in New York, NYSamuel Winston, crinkled silk, impressionistic, soft tones, floral pattern, dress having a bateau neckline, cap sleeve, fitted bodice, and full gathered skirt. Tubular self belt ties...Category
1960s American Day Dresses
- John Galliano Jersey DressBy John GallianoLocated in New York, NYJohn Galliano, black and ivory jersey, deep V neck, dress having an ivory and navy blue print on half of the dress and a solid black on the other half. Bodice and waist have draping ...Category
Early 2000s Italian Day Dresses
- Koos van den Akker Floral Chiffon 2 piece DressBy Koos Van den AkkerLocated in New York, NYKoos van den Akker, floral, silk chiffon, pastel tone 2 piece dress, having a v neck wrap top with bell sleeves and a multi layered wrap bias cut skirt. C. 1970's.Category
1970s American Day Dresses
- Chloe Lace and Chiffon Maxi DressBy ChloéLocated in New York, NYChloe, khaki tone, georgette and lace, maxi dress having a tiered, cape-like panel at the bodice, acting as a loose sleeve, but exposing the shoulders with intricate, scalloped lace...Category
1980s French Maxi Dresses
- Yves Saint Laurent Iconic 1970's Khaki Shirt DressBy Yves Saint Laurent Rive GaucheLocated in New York, NYYves Saint Laurent, RIve Gauche, iconic, late 70's, Khaki, long sleeved, belted shirt dress, having a pointed collar, button down front and slash pockets at the hip. Slightly A line ...Category
1970s French Day Dresses
- Norell Wool Knit Day DressBy Norman NorellLocated in New York, NYNorman Norell, oatmeal tone, wool knit, sheath, having buttons closing down the middle front, short sleeves, a rolled neck with a front bow and visible deep patch pockets.Category
1960s American Sheath Dresses
- Adolfo Tropical Silk Jersey Strapless Dress with Half CapeletBy AdolfoLocated in New York, NYAdolfo strapless dress with bold green, indigo and white tropical floral print. Wonderfully tailored, with fitted bodice and draped open tulip front slit above the knee for movement...Category
Late 20th Century American Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Leonard of Paris Pastel Silk Chiffon Day / Evening DressBy Leonard of ParisLocated in New York, NYPretty pastel silk chiffon Leonard of Paris special occasion day / evening dress. Bodice has a ruffled capelet that flows from the center of the dress...Category
Late 20th Century French Day Dresses
- Leonard of Paris Fuschia Multi Color Silk Chiffon Strapless GownBy Leonard of ParisLocated in New York, NYVintage Leonard of Paris bright and flirty ruffled silk chiffon cocktail dress / evening gown, unmarked size, approximately US 6. Featuring four layer...Category
Late 20th Century French Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Antonio Berardi FW-2004 Silk Sleeveless Print DressBy Antonio BerardiLocated in Brussels, BEDespite being born in the UK, Antonio Berardi’s roots are Sicilian ones, explaining his love of drama and femininity. This gorgeous silk dress, which mixes a variety of prints and mo...Category
Early 2000s Italian Day Dresses
- Sonia Rykiel SS-2002 Viscose Mix Flower Print Slip DressBy Sonia RykielLocated in Brussels, BEFlower Power remains an all-time boho statement, and Sonia Rykiel’s career interestingly took off in the early 1970s. Throughout her prolific years as a designer, Rykiel loved going ...Category
Early 2000s French Day Dresses
- Vintage EMANUEL UNGARO Boutique 1980s DAISY Black Parallele PARIS Dress XS/SBy Emanuel UngaroLocated in Asheville, NCUngaro Boutique, Vintage 1980's, Sheer Cotton, Fully Lined, Belted, Straps Tie at Top, Five Round Buttons at Front, 2 Large Front Pockets, Daisy Floral Details on Top, Front and Bott...Category
1980s French Day Dresses
$584 Sale Price20% 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.