1970's YVES SAINT LAURENT floral silk halter neck dress with flounce
View Similar Items
1970's YVES SAINT LAURENT floral silk halter neck dress with flounce
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: FR 40 (fits smaller) (EU)Bust: 34 in (86.36 cm)Waist: 26.5 in (67.31 cm)Hip: 40 in (101.6 cm)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Condition is very and all wear is consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:San Fransisco, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU8119276002
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.
- 1990's YVES SAINT LAURENT rive gauche navy strapless safari dressBy Yves Saint Laurent, Yves Saint Laurent Rive GaucheLocated in San Fransisco, CANavy-blue, strapless, cotton, safari dress designed by Yves Saint Laurent dating to the early 1990's. French size 38. Best fits a US 2 or small-busted 4. Dress can be adjusted with t...Category
1990s French Day Dresses
- 1970's YVES SAINT LAURENT rive gauche purple silk floral dressBy Yves Saint Laurent, Yves Saint Laurent Rive GaucheLocated in San Fransisco, CAPurple, floral-printed, silk dress with long waist tie from Yves Saint Laurent dating to the 1970's. Labeled a French size 42 however this fits very small, especially if worn off the...Category
1970s French Maxi Dress
- AZZEDINE ALAIA black wool dress with seamed flared skirtBy Azzedine AlaïaLocated in San Fransisco, CAJet black wool dress with boat-neckline, set in waistband and seamed skirt from Azzedine Alaia dating to the 1990's. Slips on over the head. Dress fits a size small. Approximate meas...Category
1990s French Day Dresses
- 1990's YVES SAINT LAURENT rive gauche black wool dress with lace up backBy Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, Yves Saint LaurentLocated in San Fransisco, CAJet-black, wool dress with lace up back designed by Yves Saint Laurent dating to the early 1990's. Dress has a slight A-line shape. Ties have shiny silver metal ends and can be worn ...Category
1990s French Cocktail Dresses
- 1990's ROMEO GIGLI brown velvet dress with asymmetrical hemlineBy Romeo GigliLocated in San Fransisco, CABrown velvet dress with v-neck and asymmetrical hemline from Romeo Gigli dating to the 1990's. Fits a size 6 or 8. Approximate measurements: shoulde...Category
Late 20th Century Italian Day Dresses
$195 Sale Price44% Off - 1980's LEONARD of PARIS metallic silk jersey dress with asymmetrical wrapBy Leonard Fashion, LeonardLocated in San Fransisco, CAMetallic, silk-jersey dress with abstract print and asymmetrical wrap from Leonard of Paris dating to the 1980's. 'Leonard' signatures throughout. Tones include black, gold, tan, gre...Category
1980s French Day Dresses
- Emilio Pucci Blue Silk DressBy Emilio PucciLocated in Paris, FREmilio Pucci blue silk jersey printed dress featuring an iconic geometric print, a front gathered detail. Composition: 100% silk Estimated size IT42/38fr/US6 /UK10 Made in Italy. In...Category
1990s French Cocktail Dresses
- 1984 Yves Saint Laurent Floral Silk Runway Dress w Black Velvet TrimBy Yves Saint LaurentLocated in Portland, ORThis iconic Yves Saint Laurent dress is in a fine floral silk in shades of dove grey and pink on a black background with black velvet trim at the cuffs, yoke and over the shoulders. ...Category
1980s European Day Dresses
- Valentino Red Crepe Vintage Dress With DrapingBy ValentinoLocated in Portland, ORThere is nothing like the perfect red! The Valentino dress is in the classic "Valentino red" which is such a flattering color and it has just the right pigment to flatter all skin types. This lovely dress is such a perfect piece to add to any wardrobe and can easily go from day to night with the right accessories! We especially love the gorgeous draping in the back and the puckered, paneled sleeve detail. The center back has a 10 1/2" slit at the hem and there is a center back hidden zipper closure with a hook and eye. This fully lined dress is made in an acetate viscose blend crepe and it is labeled Valentino. Made in italy...Category
Early 2000s European Evening Dresses
- S/S 1998 Gucci by Tom Ford G Buckle Purple Knit Sleeveless Cutout DressBy Gucci, Tom Ford for GucciLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting two-in-one, this dress can be worn with either an exposed back or a plunging neckline. Sexy and versatile, this dress represents one of Tom Ford's most popular and iconic ...Category
1990s Italian Cocktail Dresses
- S/S 1998 Gucci by Tom Ford Leather Strap Black Knit Runway DressBy Gucci, Tom Ford for GucciLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting a form-fitting knit Gucci dress, designed by Tom Ford. This dress debuted on the Spring/Summer 1998 runway as look 5. Constructed of black knit viscose, this long sleeve d...Category
1990s Italian Cocktail Dresses
- S/S 2002 Gucci by Tom Ford Knit Hook Closure Runway Black Knit Dress SetBy Gucci, Tom Ford for GucciLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting a slinky hook and eye closure accented sweater dress set designed by Tom Ford for Gucci's Spring/Summer 2002 collection. This set debuted as look number 23 on Erin Wasson on the Spring/Summer 2002 runway and was seen on Debra Messing at the 2002 Screen Actor's Guild Awards and in the March 2002 issue of L'Uomo Vogue...Category
Early 2000s Italian Cocktail Dresses
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.