1970s Yves Saint Laurent Metallic Knitted Jumper
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Length: 30 in (76.2 cm)Marked Size: 6 (US)Bust: 37 in (93.98 cm)Waist: 38 in (96.52 cm)Hip: 39 in (99.06 cm)
- Style:1970s (Of the Period)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU55011884502
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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: London, United Kingdom
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 7 days of delivery.
- 1980s Black Wool Cardigan with Raised Satin Stitch Grape AppliqueLocated in London, GB1980s lightweight black wool cardigan that is fully lined in a fine acetate. It has a remarkable raised satin stitch applique grape design in two places - the top left hand side with...Category
1980s Cardigans
- 1980s JC de Castelbajac Novelty Nautical Checked JumperBy JC DE CASTELBAJACLocated in London, GBCirca late 1980s to early 1990s Jean-Charles de Castelbajac knitted cotton sweater. The Moroccan born French designer is best known for his pop art inspired fashion...Category
1990s Italian Pullovers
- 2010s Balenciaga Textured Black Knit Long CardiganBy Balenciaga, Nicolas GhesquièreLocated in London, GB2010 long black knitted cardigan by Nicolas Ghesquière during his time as creative director at Balenciaga. It has a superb alternating knit design that features horizontal rows of b...Category
2010s Italian Cardigans
- 1970s I.Magnin Hand Knitted Wool Sweater With Abstract DesignBy I Magnin and CoLocated in London, GBThis 1970s hand knitted wool sweater with bold multi-coloured design was retailed by famous American luxury department store I.Magnin, a company renowned for selling only the highest...Category
1970s Italian Pullovers
- 1990s Jean Paul Gaultier PVC Sweatshirt With Arrow DesignBy Jean Paul GaultierLocated in London, GBThis unusual Jean Paul Gaultier black PVC sweatshirt, circa 1994, with soft cotton lining has some distinctive features synonymous with this celebrated designer's trademark urban sen...Category
1990s French Sweaters
- Alan Lee 1950s Emerald Wool Green Beaded Vest With Tassel FringeBy Alan LeeLocated in London, GBThis exquisite 1950s crochet woollen sweater vest by boutique designer Alan Lee is heavily beaded with sequins and pearlescent seeds and features rocaille tas...Category
1950s Hong Kong Sweater Vests
- Hermes Sweater Voyage Wide V-Neck Gris Anthracite 40 / 6By HermèsLocated in Miami, FLMightychic offers an Hermes Voyage Wide V-neck sweater featured in Gris Anthracite. Sweater has "H"'s knit into the pattern. Ribbing at cuffs, hip and ne...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Pullovers
- Hermes Sweater Voyage Wide V-Neck Gris Anthracite 42 / 8 New w/PouchBy HermèsLocated in Miami, FLGuaranteed authentic Hermes Voyage Wide V-neck sweater featured in Gris Anthracite. Sweater has "H"'s knit into the pattern. Ribbing at cuffs, hip and ne...Category
2010s French Pullovers
- 1980s Oliver black pullBy OliverLocated in Capri, IT1980s Oliver black pull totally made in italyCategory
1980s Italian Pullovers
- HERMES dark brown camel hair THICK TURTLENECK Sweater 34 XXSBy HermèsLocated in Zürich, CHHermes turtleneck sweater in dark brown camel hair (100%). With ribbed details and raglan sleeves. Has been worn and is in excelllent condition. Ta...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Pullovers
- Hermes Jungle Love Sweater Black / White 40/6 NewBy HermèsLocated in New York, NYGuaranteed authentic Hermes Jungle Love Wide sweater featured Black and White. Cashmere and silk creates this iconic motif. Sweater has ribbing a...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Sweaters
- Valentino 2pc Vintage Long Sleeve Top & Cardigan Sweater in Blue & Green PlaidBy ValentinoLocated in Portland, ORWe absolutely love this sweater top and cardigan ensemble from Valentino Boutique.Entirely knit, even though the cardigan looks like a blazer or a jacket. The button front cardigan ...Category
1980s Italian Cardigans
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.