Yves Saint Laurent Spring 1968 safari dress
View Similar Items
Yves Saint Laurent Spring 1968 safari dress
About the Item
- Designer:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Brooklyn, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2940217179672
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.
- Chanel Resort 2013 DressBy ChanelLocated in Brooklyn, NYBehold this exquisite Chanel pale pink dress, a radiant gem plucked from the illustrious resort 2013 collection, as famously showcased on the elegant runway by none other than the ca...Category
2010s Day Dresses
- Versace Spring 1996 dressBy Gianni Versace CoutureLocated in Brooklyn, NYBeautiful Gianni Versace Couture 60s inspired cream dress from Spring Summer 1996 collection. The dress is knee length, with thin adjustable belts including classic Versace...Category
1990s Day Dresses
- Chanel Spring 2001 DressBy ChanelLocated in Brooklyn, NYGorgeous Chanel by Karl Lagerfeld two tones pink dress in silk chiffon with ruffles and front slit from Spring Summer 2001 collection as seen on the runway that season. Size on tag...Category
Early 2000s Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Dolce & Gabbana Early 90s DressBy Dolce & GabbanaLocated in Brooklyn, NYSuper cute Dolce & Gabbana black mini dress from the early 90s with crystal panels on each sides. The dress is made out of a beautiful velvet and stretchy panels. The shape is body c...Category
1990s Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Yves Saint Laurent Spring 1989 GownBy Yves Saint Laurent Rive GaucheLocated in Brooklyn, NYExquisite and unparalleled, behold this mesmerizing Yves Saint Laurent gold lamé gown from the esteemed Spring Summer 1989 collection. Del...Category
1980s Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Hermes by Jean-Paul Gaultier TopBy HermèsLocated in Brooklyn, NYIncredible Hermes by Jean-Paul Gaultier black deerskin leather wrap around backless top. Size on tag is, make sure to report to measurements for accurate fitting. Measurements: ...Category
Early 2000s Shirts
- Christian Dior John Galliano Cadillac Car Plate Dua Lipa Beach Stamp Dress PareoBy Christian DiorLocated in PARIS, FRChristian Dior By John Galliano Cadillac FW 2001 Car Plate Dua Lipa Beach Stamp Dress Skirt Pareo Sarong Bustier Christian Dior by John Galliano pareo / sk...Category
Early 2000s French Mini Dresses
- 1990s Emilio Pucci Halter Wrap DressBy Emilio PucciLocated in Scottsdale, AZGet your hands on this magical 1990s Emilio Pucci halter wrap dress! Emilio Pucci presents his signature whimsical graphic this time in a serene pa...Category
1990s Italian Tunics and Wrap Dresses
- Jean Patou Silk Chiffon Print DressBy Jean PatouLocated in Oakland, CAStunning vintage Jean Patou silk printed dress. Lightest sheer silk chiffon. Vibrant turquoise and white vertical print. Square neckline, puff sl...Category
1980s French Day Dresses
- Gucci Black & Blue Dot Print Silk Draped Mini Dress MBy GucciLocated in Dubai, Al Qouz 2Look your fashionable best when you wear this lovely Gucci dress. Tailored from silk, the mini dress has draped details and polka dots all over. Trust this black and blue to keep you...Category
2010s Italian Mini Dresses
- M Missoni Multicolor Perforated Knit Fit & Flare Midi Dress MBy M MissoniLocated in Dubai, Al Qouz 2Eliminating the gap between formal and casual, this dress from M Missoni is a playful friend to Monday presentation along with a vibrant option for weekends. Featuring a colorful, pe...Category
2010s Italian Mini Dresses
$480 Sale Price49% Off - Alice + Olivia Blue Silk Asymmetric Draped Sleeveless Dress SLocated in Dubai, Al Qouz 2Chic and stunning to look at, Alice + Olivia dresses offer fashion-forward styling for today's women. Made from blue silk, this sleeveless dress features wrap-effect draped front and a square strappy back. The cut-out detailing with an exposed zipper adds an edge to this feminine dress...Category
2010s Italian Mini Dresses
$118 Sale Price64% 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.