Yves Saint Laurent Caftan Ensemble
View Similar Items
Yves Saint Laurent Caftan Ensemble
About the Item
- Designer:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: 38 (EU)Waist: 26 in (66.04 cm)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Los Angeles, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU45599622
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.
- Comme Des Garcons Black Mesh Cross Ensemble 1994By Comme des GarçonsLocated in Los Angeles, CAResurrection Vintage is excited to offer a vintage Comme des Garcons mesh ensemble featuring a top with a center front black cross, high neck, raw edges, and long sleeves. The skirt ...Category
20th Century Japanese Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Vintage Yves Saint Laurent YSL Chartreuse Stripe Wrap Ensemble, 1970sBy Yves Saint LaurentLocated in Los Angeles, CAResurrection Vintage is excited to offer a vintage 1970s Yves Saint Laurent chartreuse wrap top & skirt ensemble with multi-color stripes. The top features a wrap-around front tie cl...Category
1970s French Day Dresses
- Chloe By Karl Lagerfeld Black Skirt Ensemble With Rhinestone AppliqueBy Karl Lagerfeld for ChloeLocated in Los Angeles, CAVintage Chloé by Karl Lagerfeld black skirt ensemble. The jacket features long sleeves, shoulder pads, rhinestones appliques at the cuffs, and ...Category
1980s Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- 80s British Designer Rachel Auburn "New Romantics" Jacket & Pants Museum QualityLocated in Los Angeles, CAResurrection Vintage is excited to offer a vintage Rachel Auburn jacket and pants ensemble featuring a metallic floral jacquard textile, a button-front j...Category
1980s British Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Vintage Ann Demeulemeester Black Wool RomperBy Ann DemeulemeesterLocated in Los Angeles, CAVintage Ann Demeulemeester black sleeveless v-neck romper with buttons down center front, two front pockets and one back pocket, and adjustable straps at waist and at back. Excellen...Category
20th Century Jumpsuits
- Gianfranco Ferre Faux Fur Velvet And Double Knit Pant Suit EnsembleBy Gianfranco FerréLocated in Los Angeles, CAResurrection Vintage is excited to offer a vintage Gianfranco Ferre black faux fur velvet bodysuit and pant ensemble. The bodysuit top features gold b...Category
1990s Italian Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Moschino Couture Black Vintage Hand Print SuitBy MoschinoLocated in Los Angeles, CAMoschino couture black vintage hand print suit This iconic vintage hand print suit is documented in the MOSCHINO 10 year book. Museum Quality. Same suit ...Category
1980s Italian Skirt Suits
- Chanel Spring 1994 Black Linen and Wool Double Breasted Skirt Suit - Size 40By ChanelLocated in West Palm Beach, FLChanel Black Linen and Wool Double Breasted Skirt Suit - 40 - Spring 1994. This vintage skirt suit has a linen skirt, and the jacket is a combination of Linen and Wool. The jacket ha...Category
1990s French Skirt Suits
- Vintage Giorgio Armani Silk Lined Textured Brown Skirt and Jacket SuitBy Giorgio ArmaniLocated in Portland, ORThis is a sublime vintage Giorgio Armani black label textured brown suit from the 1990's. The photos don't show the delicate beauty of the outfit! The black label is a premium collec...Category
1990s Italian Skirt Suits
- Alfred Bosand Black Point D-Esprit Gown and Cape with Ruffles - M - 1960'sBy Alfred BosandLocated in West Palm Beach, FLAlfred Bosand Black Point D-Esprit Gown and Cape with Ruffles - M - 1960's. This ensemble has a sexy 60's look. The gown has spaghetti straps and a black lining with point d'esprit o...Category
1960s American Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Yves Saint Laurent Printed Panther Satin (attributed to) Skirt Suit Circa 1990By Yves Saint LaurentLocated in Toulon, FRCirca 1990 France Yves Saint Laurent Skirt suit without label from the 1990s. Set in printed panther silk satin. Crossed jacket with topstichting, large lapels and pockets. Transluc...Category
1990s French Skirt Suits
- Jean Paul Gaultier Soleil S/S 2002 Portraits Faces Crop Top & Pants 2 Piece SetBy Jean Paul GaultierLocated in Naples, FLJean Paul Gaultier Soleil S/S 2002 "Portraits" Faces Print Sheer Mesh Wrap Crop Top & Pants Ensemble 2 Piece Set Size MCategory
Early 2000s Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
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.