Vintage Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche YSL Tropical Print Bishop Sleeve Blouse
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: 42 US 10 / 12 (EU)Bust: 44 in (111.76 cm)Waist: 40 in (101.6 cm)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:San Diego, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU6622439673
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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: San Diego, CA
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
- Rozae Nichols Charcoal Gray Ombre Sequins A - Line Silk Trapeze Top / BlouseBy Rozae NicholsLocated in San Diego, CAChic Rozae Nichols charcoal gray ombre trapeze top! 100% silk, with hundreds of sequins encrusted throughout the entire blouse. Adjustable straps, so you...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Blouses and Tops
- Beautiful Etro Multi - Print Silk Patchwork Babydoll Empire Waist Blouse TopBy EtroLocated in San Diego, CASuch a pretty Etro multi-printed silk top! Patchwork prints, with a forgiving babydoll/empire waist. Hidden zipper up the back. Looks great with shorts, denim, or a skirt! Made in It...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Blouses
- 1990s Vintage Comme des Garçons Black Sheer Striped Sheared 90s ShirtBy Comme des Garçons, Junya Watanabe Comme des GarçonsLocated in San Diego, CARare 1990s vintage Comme des Garçons black and sheer striped top! Features vertical silk bodice and back, with signature sheared sweater hem on front. Front breast pocket. Buttons at...Category
1990s Japanese Blouses and Tops
- 1990s Ralph Lauren Black Label Size 14 Paisley Velvet Off the Shoulder BlouseBy Ralph Lauren Black Label, Ralph LaurenLocated in San Diego, CAChic mid 90s vintage RALPH LAUREN COLLECTION black label paisley lightweight velvet Size 14 blouse top ! Features warm tones of tau...Category
1990s Hong Kong Bishop Sleeve Blouses
- Stunning Swee Lo 1980s Black + Gold Silk Chiffon Beaded Vintage 80s Blouse TopBy SWEE LOLocated in San Diego, CAStunning 1980s SWEE LO black and gold hand beaded silk chiffon long sleeve blouse! Wonderful tailored fit, with thousands of hand-sewn seed beads throughout. N...Category
1980s Blouses and Tops
- Thierry Mugler Couture 1990s Black Ribbed Sleeveless Vintage 90s Crop Top ShirtBy Thierry Mugler, Thierry Mugler CoutureLocated in San Diego, CASexy vintage early 90s THIERRY MUGLER COUTURE black ribbed sleeveless cropped top! Bodycon style that stretches to fit. Simply slips over the head. Round scoop neck, with a flattering soft rayon blend knit. Can easily be dressed up or down. Great with a skirt, jeans, trousers, shorts, or under a skirt. The pictured early 1990s BETSEY JOHNSON rose print skirt, and the mid 90s TOM FORD...Category
1990s Italian Camisoles and Shell Tops
- Alber Elbaz Lanvin Fall Winter 2014 Sleeveless Black Eyelash Fringe Evening TopBy Alber Elbaz, Lanvin ParisLocated in Portland, ORThis is a fun and festive black sleeveless evening top designed by Alber Elbaz for Lanvin for their F/W 2014 collection. This particular season ...Category
2010s French Shirts
- Deadstock Valentino Black Knit & Lace One Shoulder Top w Sash & Original TagsBy ValentinoLocated in Portland, ORThis unworn Valentino black one shoulder stretchy ribbed top is really incredible! The top comes with its original Valentino and store tag indicating it was sold for $1470 at Stanley Korshak...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Blouses
- Valentino Vintage Black and Red Striped Cotton & Silk Button Front BlouseBy ValentinoLocated in Portland, ORThis is a great vintage blouse from Valentino in a red and black striped cotton with a black silk collar. This boxy, double breasted button front blouse has 2 functional buttons, one...Category
Late 20th Century Italian Blouses and Tops
- Donna Karan Vintage Bodysuit Blouse in Black Silk Blend Satin Top w French CuffsBy Donna KaranLocated in Portland, ORThis is an amazing Donna Karan Bodysuit with French cuffs and a wide spread collar. The blouse buttons up the front and snaps at the bottom. This Donna Karan black label top was made...Category
1980s Italian Blouses
- Comme des Garcons Green Polka Dot Silk Chiffon Cropped Blouse Top w Black TrimBy Comme des GarçonsLocated in Portland, ORThis is a fun Comme des Garcons deconstructed olive green polka dot cropped top, with pretty gathering at the neckline. We love Comme des garcons and this top has so much style and s...Category
Early 2000s Asian Blouses and Tops
- 1940s Vintage Hand Painted Circus Performers Sheer Black Open Front Top With TieLocated in Portland, ORThis is a truly fabulous vintage 1940's sheer black rayon long sleeve open front top with hand painted circus performers. We are always excited to find vintage hand painted clothing...Category
1940s North American Blouses
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.