1970s Saint Laurent Python Clutch
View Similar Items
1970s Saint Laurent Python Clutch
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Scottsdale, AZ
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU16721206152
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.
- Valextra Yellow Leather ClutchBy ValextraLocated in Scottsdale, AZDo not miss out on the Valextra Yellow Leather Clutch—a striking and contemporary accessory that will undoubtedly make a statement. This sleek rectangle clutch is a testament to mod...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Clutches
- Tom Ford for Yves Saint Laurent Gold ClutchBy Yves Saint LaurentLocated in Scottsdale, AZGorgeous Tom Ford for Yves Saint Laurent evening bag in the most stunning metallic gold crocodile embossed metal casing! Eye catching shiny g...Category
Early 2000s French Clutches
- Hermes Pouchette Rio Envelope in CamelBy HermèsLocated in Scottsdale, AZIntroducing the epitome of timeless elegance - the Hermes Rio Envelope Pochette in a camel tone brown. This luxurious accessory features a chic snap-style c...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Clutches
- Whiting & Davis Gold Chainmail ClutchBy Whiting & DavisLocated in Scottsdale, AZAdorable vintage Whiting & Davis gold chainmail clutch! Complete your going out look effortlessly with this timeless and versatile chainmail clutch. Features a gorgeous rhinestone-en...Category
Mid-20th Century Clutches
- Louis Vuitton Arche Pochette Epi Leather Shoulder BagBy Louis VuittonLocated in Scottsdale, AZElevate your style with the Louis Vuitton Arche Pochette Epi Leather Shoulder Bag! Crafted in the coveted textured Epi leather, this exquisite bag ...Category
1990s French Clutches
- Coblentz 1960s Original Fold Over Embroidered ClutchBy CoblentzLocated in Scottsdale, AZThis 1960's Coblentz clutch is so timeless and elegant! Get your hands on this beautiful fold over style clutch that is soo reminiscent of the playful sophistication of the 1960s! Woven off-white clutch features a beautiful palette of pastel pink, green and blue flowers embroidered contrasted by yellow gold tone hardware. The gold tone clasp is the perfecting finishing touch and really elevates this clutch. Style this with a Miu Miu dress...Category
1960s Clutches
- Bottega Veneta Y2K unisex black woven leather wristlet clutch bagBy Bottega VenetaLocated in Milano, ITBottega Veneta Y2K unisex black woven leather wristlet clutch bag Zip closure Buttons on the bottom bag Leather wristlet Made in Italy Completed with original dustbag and authen...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Clutches
- 1990 Louis Vuitton Felicie GM bag clutchBy Louis VuittonLocated in PARIS, FRLouis Vuitton clutch circa 1990, Félicie style, in monogram canvas and tan leather, coordinated leather interior with one patch pocket and one zipped pocket, flap closed by pressure....Category
1990s French Clutches
- 1990 Celine Precious Black "pocket" clutchBy CelineLocated in PARIS, FRCéline vintage Pocket model clutch (circa 1990) in black shiny crocodile leather, large flap equipped with a C logo clasp (like Céline) in gold metal, interior in soft leather coordi...Category
1990s French Clutches
- Lambertson Truex 182 Framed ClutchLocated in London, GB-100% Leather -LT signature blue leather interior -Gold-toned LT hardware -Fits an iPhone, cardholder & keys -Internal zip pocket -Very Good Condition: Signs of wear on the corners, ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Clutches
- Lambertson Truex 182 Framed ClutchLocated in London, GB-100% Leather -LT signature blue leather interior -Silver-toned LT hardware -Fits an iPhone, cardholder & keys -Internal zip pocket -Good Condition: Signs of wear on the corners, min...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Clutches
- Olympia Le Tan Humour Into Money ClutchLocated in London, GB-Hand embroidered silk thread and felt appliqué -Brass frame -Lining made with floral fabric -Limited edition numbered 6/16 -Comes with original dust bag & box -Very Good Condition:...Category
2010s Clutches
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.