1980 Yves Saint Laurent Runway Floral Print Shirtwaister Dress
About the Item
- Designer:
- Dimensions:Length: 44 in (111.76 cm)Bust: 38 in (96.52 cm)Waist: 31 in (78.74 cm)Hip: 41 in (104.14 cm)
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU55022479892
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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: London, United Kingdom
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 7 days of delivery.
- 1970s Knitted White Wool Maxi DressLocated in London, GBThis 1970s knitted wool maxi dress has clearly been made with love and attention by a very good home knitter. It has a tighter knitted empire line bodi...Category
1970s British Wedding Dresses
- 1950s Grey Cotton and White Embroidered Dress and Jacket SetLocated in London, GBThis is a fabulous and very lightweight original 1950s set comprised of two items - a classic sheath dress overlaid with a back fastening, cropped jacket. The fabric is a very fine q...Category
1950s British Aesthetic Day Dresses
- 1970s Green Red and White Mary Farin Knitted DressBy Mary FarrinLocated in London, GBA 1970s Mary Farrin knitted dress. This is a really versatile piece from renowned British knitwear designer Mary Farrin in a wonderful combination of deep ...Category
1970s Maltese Aesthetic Day Dresses
- 1970s Ted Lapidus Silk Shirt DressBy Ted LapidusLocated in London, GBA stylish 1970s daywear piece by revered designer Ted Lapidus who began his long fashion career at the house of Dior before branching out on his own in 1951. He is known for his unisex style of dressing and was worn by leading French stars...Category
1970s French Aesthetic Day Dresses
- 1950s Pale Blue Embroidered Cotton DressLocated in London, GBThis lovely late 1950s /early 1960s light weight cotton dress in pale blue bears no makers labels but is a very wearable dress and is in excellent vintage condition. The fine cotton ...Category
1950s American Day Dresses
- 1950s Carlye Cream Cotton Knife Pleat DressBy CarlyeLocated in London, GBA classic example of good quality American day wear. We love this label - Carlye pieces just ooze refinment. This creamy beige cotton knife pleat dress has an elegent scoop neck augmented with 2 pearlescent buttons. These fasten on the shoulders and are purely decorative. There is an additional ochre coloured over-stitched ziz-zag pattern on the neckline. The dress has an interesting and continuous arrangement of knife pleats both on the bodice and the skirt. The knife pleats on the bodice are formed on an additional panel which you can pass your hand through. The panel is attached at the waist and the neckline and this feature was to ensure that the pleats align closely with that of the skirt when wearing. The bodice is lined in the same fine cotton fabric whilst the skirt is unlined. There is a side pocket just below the original metal zip at the side. The condition is excellent - we have noticed one small brown faded mark very close to the waistband; barely noticeable and we inspected a few times before seeing this. This would also be covered by any belt. Best fit for UK size 8-10, US size 4-6 and of smaller stature as Carlye was a petite range brand. The Carlye Dress Corporation was formed in 1938 in St. Louis, Missouri. Owned by Corinne Fuller Glaser, Carlye went on to become one of the great dress houses in St. Louis, a city renowned for its 'junior wear' or in more modern terms - petite sizes fashion. Clothing manufacturing giant Leslie Fay...Category
1950s American Aesthetic Day Dresses
- Salvatore Ferragamo Peach Cotton Knit Short Sleeve Shift Dress - MediumBy Salvatore FerragamoLocated in West Palm Beach, FLSalvatore Ferragamo Peach Cotton Knit Short Sleeve Shift Dress - Medium. This lovely dress is in excellent condition. It features a feminine peach cotton knit material, two pockets...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Shift Dresses
- Missoni Vintage Earthtones Chevron Knitted Tunic-Style Dress - S - Circa 70'sBy MissoniLocated in West Palm Beach, FLMissoni Vintage Earthtones Chevron Knitted Tunic-Style Dress - S - Circa 70's. This adorable dress is in excellent vintage condition with only very slight pulls near the bottom. It ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Day Dresses
- Chanel Black Dress with Silk Chiffon Top and Tweed Skirt - 38By ChanelLocated in West Palm Beach, FLThis Chanel dress features a black silk chiffon sleeveless top and a black tweed skirt. The skirt has pockets and has a Chanel logo detail on it. This dress is in excellent condition...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Day Dresses
- Dries Van Noten Taupe Silk Slip Dress - 42By Dries van NotenLocated in West Palm Beach, FLThis Dries Van Noten slip dress is taupe silk. It has spaghetti straps and a v-neck. This dress is in excellent condition. Measurements Bust: 34" Waist: 38" Hips: 43" Length (...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Belgian Day Dresses
- Alaia Camel Silk Knit Sleeveless Flare Dress - 40By Azzedine AlaïaLocated in West Palm Beach, FLAlaia Camel Silk Knit Sleeveless Flare Dress - 40. This sleeveless scoop neck silk knit blend dress is a pretty camel color. The top bodice is mesh, and the rest of the dress has a t...Category
2010s French Day Dresses
- Oscar de la Renta Charcoal Wool Sleeveless Shift Dress - LBy Oscar De La RentaLocated in West Palm Beach, FLThis Oscar de la Renta wool shift dress is a charcoal color. It is sleeveless and has a cutout in the front. This dress is in excellent condition. Measurements Bust: 39" Waist: 36" ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Day 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.