F/W 1988 Saint Laurent Rive Gauche Runway Red Satin Pocket Pencil Skirt
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: FR40 (EU)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Light wear from age and use throughout, including minor areas of fading.
- Seller Location:West Hollywood, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2388219307452
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.
Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche
Visionary French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent was the first to launch a ready-to-wear label, YSL Rive Gauche Prêt-à-Porter. The inaugural Rive Gauche boutique — a modern shop in Paris’s bustling, bohemian Left Bank district — offered stylish garments and accessories that were intended to be affordable for a younger generation of fashion enthusiasts. The store featured Mies van der Rohe chairs and played host to actor Catherine Deneuve during its grand opening.
Saint Laurent pioneered “cross-design” in fashion, taking inspiration from street trends to modernize haute couture. He was the first couturier to open boutiques for both men and women. Using traditional menswear fabrics and designs for women, he 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 — Rive Gauche is French for “left bank” — followed soon thereafter by YSL Rive Gauche for men. Ready-to-wear materialized during a period of dynamic transformation and experimentation and came to dominate the Paris fashion scene. 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.
The vintage YSL Rive Gauche clothing for sale on 1stDibs includes evening dresses and gowns, jackets, shoes, handbags and other items.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: West Hollywood, CA
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 1 day of delivery.
- NWT S/S 1996 Gianni Versace Couture Neon Yellow Graffiti Floral Print SkirtBy Gianni VersaceLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting a vibrant floral neon Gianni Versace Couture skirt, designed by Gianni Versace. From the Spring/Summer 1996 collection, this floral graffiti print debuted on the runway on...Category
1990s Italian Flare Skirts
- S/S 2002 Gucci by Tom Ford Tan Suede Floral Cutout Flare Wrap SkirtBy Gucci, Tom Ford for GucciLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting a fabulous tan suede Gucci midi skirt, designed by Tom Ford. From the Spring/Summer 2002 collection, the black satin version of this skirt debuted on the season's runway a...Category
Early 2000s Italian Wrap Skirts
- Late 1990s Ralph Lauren Black Silk Taffeta Voluminous Maxi Evening SkirtBy Ralph Lauren, Ralph Lauren Purple LabelLocated in West Hollywood, CAFrom the late 1990s, this black Ralph Lauren Purple Label evening skirt is a classically beautiful addition to any wardrobe. This high-waisted skirt is constructed entirely of silk t...Category
1990s American Skirts
- F/W 2004 Yves Saint Laurent by Tom Ford Blue Chinoiserie SkirtBy Yves Saint Laurent, Tom Ford for Yves Saint LaurentLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting a stunning blue chinoiserie Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche skirt, designed by Tom Ford. From Ford’s final collection at YSL, this pattern from Spring/Summer 2004 debuted on the season’s runway and was also used in the season’s ad campaign. This blue monochromatic...Category
Early 2000s French Pencil Skirts
- F/W 2003 Gucci by Tom Ford White Satin Panel Zip Stretch SkirtBy Gucci, Tom Ford for GucciLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting a stretch creme satin Gucci skirt, designed by Tom Ford. From the Fall/Winter 2003 collection, this beautiful skirt features zippers on either hip and paneling which enhances the curves of the female form. The black version of this skirt debuted on the runway as part of look 9 modeled by Natalia Vodianova...Category
Early 2000s Italian Pencil Skirts
- S/S 2003 Yves Saint Laurent by Tom Ford Runway Dusty Lavender Ruched SkirtBy Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, Tom Ford for Yves Saint LaurentLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting a dusty lavender stretch viscose blend skirt designed by Tom Ford for Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche's Spring/Summer 2003 collection. The beige/taupe version of this skirt...Category
Early 2000s Italian Pencil Skirts
- Black knit pencil skirt with cut-work AlaïaBy Azzedine AlaïaLocated in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FRBlack knit pencil skirt with cut-work. Knit composition: 90% wool, 5% stretch, 5% nylon. SIZE S on tag but fit MCategory
1990s Italian Skirts
- Lycra mini -skirt with bamboo and orchid print LéonardBy LeonardLocated in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FRLycra mini -skirt with bamboo and orchid. Fabric composition: 80% nylon, 20% lycra SIZE 40 / LCategory
2010s Unknown Skirts
- Sonia Rykiel Black Silk Blend Front Bow Detail Skirt LBy Sonia RykielLocated in Dubai, Al Qouz 2Flaunt this classy and cotemporary Sonia Rykiel skirt which is just what you need to be at the top of your style and comfort zone. Make an outstanding statement by adorning this blac...Category
2010s Skirts
- 1970S Burgundy & Dusty Pink Cotton Ditsy Floral Print Mix SkirtLocated in New York, NY1970S Burgundy & Dusty Pink Cotton Ditsy Floral Print Mix SkirtCategory
1970s A-Line Skirts
- 1960S Lilly Pulitzer Light Pink & Green Cotton Floral Lace Trim SkirtBy Lilly PulitzerLocated in New York, NY1960S Lilly Pulitzer Light Pink & Green Cotton Floral Lace Trim SkirtCategory
1960s A-Line Skirts
- 1990S Black Draped Poly Blend Jersey Asymmetrical SkirtLocated in New York, NY1990S Black Draped Poly Blend Jersey Asymmetrical SkirtCategory
1990s A-Line Skirts
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.