Yves Saint Laurent Runway Silk Taffeta Gown, Fall-Winter 1979-1980
View Similar Items
Yves Saint Laurent Runway Silk Taffeta Gown, Fall-Winter 1979-1980
About the Item
- Designer:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Brooch pin holes at waist level and back. Small yellowish stains throughout the dress. Despite its condition, this piece is a remarkable academic example of YSL's work.
- Seller Location:Geneva, CH
- Reference Number:Seller: 1DJD01821stDibs: LU560603672
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.
- Gucci Silk Chiffon Two Piece EnsembleBy GucciLocated in Geneva, CHA 70's silk chiffon summer ensemble in a Madras print by Gucci. The top features an elastic waist with an all-around ruffle. The skirt is lined and has a “gros grain” purple belt. ...Category
1970s Italian Summer Dresses
- Givenchy Printed Plunging Maxi DressBy GivenchyLocated in Geneva, CHWonderful 70's silhouette with this Givenchy maxi dress. Made of airy silk chiffon featuring a red and white graphic print, the dress has a deep plunging neckline at the front and re...Category
1970s French Maxi Dresses
- 1960's Evelyn Byrnes Evening Silk Chiffon Strapless GownBy Evelyn ByrnesLocated in Geneva, CHExtraordinary evening gown, empire-line, with ecru lace feathers covering the bodice with a satin sash above a deep turquoise skirt made of fine pleated silk chiffon. Fits approx....Category
1960s American Ball Gowns
- Hervé Leger Couture Bandage DressBy Herve LégerLocated in Geneva, CHThis couture royal blue zip-front tailored bandage dress (c. 1998) is a signature from the designer Hervé Leger. Each strip is hand-stitched for a form-fitting/figure-hugging finish. Here the model is too thin but this dress is made to mold and shape the body to perfection. The Hervé Leger brand is still existing in a similar design sensibility. However, the quality and the make of the pieces are far away from the genuine designed Hervé Leger dress… A couture vintage Hervé Leger dress...Category
1990s French Evening Dresses
- Givenchy Attributed Haute Couture Organza Cocktail DressLocated in Geneva, CHEnd of fifties-early sixties organza floral print dress attributed to Hubert de Givenchy. Train-cape in the back, matching bow belt and refined draped bustier. The dress fastens at t...Category
1950s French Cocktail Dresses
- Documented Emanuel Ungaro Silk Leopard Print Wrap Dress, Spring-Summer 2000By Emanuel UngaroLocated in Geneva, CHFrom the SS2000 Emanuel Ungaro collection, this wrap dress features a large ruffle on the cleavage. Punchy shades of pink and bright magenta leopard print. Her purple-colored twin was the look 45 of the runway show (see picture 3). This dress closes with a long silk band on the right side. Like a “second skin” see-trough (tiny rectangular holes) light silk. Unlined, the dress runs a little bit small to size. Fits approx. : US 4-6 / FR 36-38 Measurements (taken flat) : Width (shoulder to shoulder) approx. 40 cm (15.7 inches) Width (armpit to armpit) approx. 42 cm (16.5 inches) Arm length approx. 64 cm (25.2 inches) Length (shoulder to hem) approx. 104 cm (40.9 inches) Total length approx. 105 cm (41.3 inches) This item has been professionally cleaned, pressed & carefully inspected by a couture-trained seamstress before being sold. Credit photos : Picture n° 2 -> Kirsten Owen by Mario Sorrenti for Emanuel Ungaro SS2000 ADV campaign Picture n° 3 -> unknown model by JB Villareal / Shoot Digital via Vogue Runway / Condé Nast Archive in the Emanuel...Category
Early 2000s Italian Cocktail Dresses
- Versace pink medusa logo runway dress, SS 2005By Donatella VersaceLocated in London, GBMy Runway Archive presents this Iconic and super rare runway dress from the Versace SS 2005 collection. Worn by Melania Trump and Lil Kim. A customised...Category
Early 2000s European Evening Dresses
- Christian Dior John Galliano Fall/Winter 2007 Hot Pink Skirt Suit Size 38FRBy John Galliano for Christian DiorLocated in Saint Petersburg, FLChristian Dior Fall/Winter 2007 Hot Pink Skirt Suit with Crystal Buckle, Snake Skin Belt Size 38FR - John Galliano for Christian Dior.Category
Early 2000s French Skirt Suits
- 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
- Dolce & Gabbana Vintage 1990's Bubblegum Pink Sleeveless Fitted Sheath Dress 38By Dolce & GabbanaLocated in Chicago, ILVintage 1990's Dolce & Gabbana sheath dress designed by Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana. Features a crew neckline, rear vent, and figure accentuating darts at front and back. 100%...Category
1990s Italian Sheath Dresses
- MARCHESA NOTTE pink FLORAL STRAPLESS EVENING GownDress 0 XSBy Marchesa NotteLocated in Zürich, CH100% authentic Marchesa Notte floral corsage midi dress in pink and black nylon (100%). Opens with a concealed zipper and a hook at the back. Lined in black polyester (100%). Brand n...Category
2010s Evening Gowns
- EMILIO PUCCI magenta pink silk PRINTED MINI Dress 38 XSBy Emilio PucciLocated in Zürich, CH100% authentic Emilio Pucci long sleeve printed straight dress in pink, magenta, coral, black and white silk (94%) and elastane (6%). The design features flared sleeves and a buttone...Category
2010s Unknown 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.