1968 YVES SAINT LAURENT "Saharienne" safari tunic
View Similar Items
1968 YVES SAINT LAURENT "Saharienne" safari tunic
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Length: 30.5 in (77.47 cm)Bust: 33 in (83.82 cm)Hip: 36 in (91.44 cm)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Material Notes:cotton blend (no fabric content label present).
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Altered (not by designer). Alteration at front. Buttons may have been replaced. Priced accordingly.
- Seller Location:San Fransisco, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU8119274962
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.
- 1980's ISSEY MIYAKE ribbed tunic dress with dolman sleevesBy Issey MiyakeLocated in San Fransisco, CARibbed tunic or dress with dolman sleeves designed by Issey Miyake. Labeled a size medium. Approximate measurements (unstretched): bust 44", hips 35.25" and length 34". Material is v...Category
1980s Japanese Mini Dresses
- 1970's YVES SAINT LAURENT deep navy blue silk blouse with flounced trimBy Yves Saint Laurent, Yves Saint Laurent Rive GaucheLocated in San Fransisco, CADeepest navy-blue, silk blouse with flounced trim and puff sleeves designed by Yves Saint Laurent dating to the late 1970's, early 1980's. No size is indicated but this best fits a 0...Category
Late 20th Century French Blousons
- 1987 AZZEDINE ALAIA black textured net RUNWAY button up shirtBy Azzedine AlaïaLocated in San Fransisco, CAJet-black, abstract textured, net, button up shirt designed by Azzedine Alaia dating to winter of 1987 as seen on the runway. The size tag has been removed because of the the sheerne...Category
1980s French Blouses
- 2013 JEAN PAUL GAULTIER double layered fishnet RUNWAY tunicBy Jean Paul GaultierLocated in San Fransisco, CANude and black layered 'fishnet' tunic designed by Jean Paul Gaultier dating to spring of 2013 exactly as seen on the runway. Tunic is composed of two layers one black and the other ...Category
2010s Italian Tunics
- STELLA MCCARTNEY embroidered runway topBy Stella McCartneyLocated in San Fransisco, CAVivid blue top embroidered in black and white leaf motif designed by Stella McCartney exactly as seen on the fall 2012 runway. Best fits a US 6-8. Approximate measurements: shoulders...Category
2010s Slovenian Shirts
- 1980's SAINT LAURENT rive gauche burgundy silk top with pussy bowBy Yves Saint Laurent, Yves Saint Laurent Rive GaucheLocated in San Fransisco, CABurgundy silk top with long sleeves, asymmetrical hidden button closure and pussy bow designed by Saint Laurent dating to the 1980's. French size 38. Approximate measurements: should...Category
1980s French Blouses and Tops
- Krizia Big Cat TunicBy KriziaLocated in Alford, MAKrizia black silk tunic printed with large white outline of a big cat, accented with green eyes and a red mouth. Straight, loose cut with dolman, short sleeves...Category
Late 20th Century Italian Tunics and Wrap Dresses
- Issey Miyake Vintage Stretch Knit Brown Abstract Large Dot Mini Dress or TopBy Issey MiyakeLocated in Portland, ORThis really fun, 1980's vintage Issey Miyake piece can be worn as a bodycon mini dress or as a longer top! The fabric is 90% acrylic and 10% wool and the mushroom brown background i...Category
1980s Japanese Mini Dresses
- Karl Lagerfeld Black Shirt Dress circa 1990'sBy Karl LagerfeldLocated in Scottsdale, AZIconic Karl Lagerfeld button down! Featuring a structured collar, two breast pockets and shoulder pads, this piece is as functional as it is versatile. The sleeves are fully ruched which adds such a fun flare to the otherwise classic and effortless style. Wear this buttoned up as a mini dress with some Versace pumps...Category
1990s Shoulder Pads
- S/S 1994 Gianni Versace Couture Red Orange Watercolor Button Down ShirtdressBy Gianni Versace, Gianni Versace CoutureLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting a vibrant watercolor Gianni Versace Couture dress, designed by Gianni Versace. From the Spring/Summer 1994 collection, this dress rare sample fe...Category
1990s Italian Cocktail Dresses
- Adrianna Papéll Vintage Sequin TopBy Adrianna PapellLocated in Milano, ITSplendid vintage t-shirt designed by Adriana Papéll in the 1990s. ORIGINAL LABEL. The T-shirt has a short cut, just above the navel, with short sleeves, totally handmade. The inner l...Category
1990s Italian Casual Dresses
$395 Sale Price20% Off - Calvin Klein White Oversize T-shirt with BrandBy Calvin KleinLocated in Milano, ITLovely white oversized T-shirt by Calvin Klein from the late 1990s, with original logo and tag. Made in Italy. The white T-shirt is made of long oversized cotton, with short sleeves....Category
1990s Italian Casual Dresses
$87 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.