1960s Yves Saint Laurent Haute Couture Numbered Silk Embroidered Evening Dress
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Length: 52 in (132.08 cm)Marked Size: Medium (EU)Bust: 36 in (91.44 cm)Waist: 28 in (71.12 cm)Hip: 36 in (91.44 cm)Shoulder to Hem: 52 in (132.08 cm)
- Style:Christian Dior (In the Style Of)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Pristine condition. No flaws!
- Seller Location:Sparks, NV
- Reference Number:
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: Sparks, NV
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- 1970s Vintage Metallic Silver Sequin Nude Jersey Knit Empire Maxi DressLocated in Sparks, NVStunning vintage nude jersey knit maxi dress with an empire waist and silver sequins. Details: Fully Lined Matching Belt Back Metal Zip and Hook Closure Marked Size: Not Ma...Category
1970s American Maxi Dress
- Bill Blass for Saks Fifth Avenue Ruched Brown Jersey Knit DressBy Saks Fifth Avenue, Bill BlassLocated in Sparks, NVBrown jersey knit dress by Bill Blass. Drop waist and balloon sleeves. Details Unlined Back zip and hook closure Side pockets Label: Bill Blass Marked Size: 8 Estimated Si...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Gianni Versace Couture Vintage 1990s Pale Pink Chenille Body Con DressBy Gianni VersaceLocated in Sparks, NVSuper soft pale pink body con dress in a velvety chenille by Gianni Versace Couture. The cut on this is so flattering! Simple, elegant and chic. Details: Fully Lined Size Zip...Category
1990s Italian Casual Dresses
- Norma Kamali Omo 1990s 90s Vintage Geometric Print Dolman Dress + BeltBy Norma KamaliLocated in Sparks, NVVintage brown and tan geometric print dress by Norma Kamali Omo. This dress features a button up front, dolman sleeves and a matching belt. Unlined with front button closure. It i...Category
1990s Day Dresses
- Wenjilli 1970s Vintage Metallic Knit Striped Maxi DressBy WenjilliLocated in Sparks, NVMetallic striped knit maxi dress with a crochet neckline and long sleeves by Wenjilli. Slinky body hugging fit. Details: Unlined Back Zip Closure Marked size: 9/10 Color: C...Category
1970s Hong Kong Evening Dresses and Gowns
- 1960s Mam'selle Vintage Gold Beaded Brocade + Silk Chiffon Cocktail DressLocated in Sparks, NVGorgeous vintage silk chiffon dress by Mam'selle with a beaded brocade bodice. Fully lined with rear metal zip and hook closure. Fits like a...Category
1960s American Cocktail Dresses
- DOLCE & GABBANA beige & pink silk FLORAL SLEEVELESS WRAP Dress 42 MBy Dolce & GabbanaLocated in Zürich, CH100% authentic Dolce & Gabbana sleeves wrap dress in beige silk (with 6% elastane) with pink and greeen floral print. Opens with a zipper in the back. Lined in silk (with 4% elastane...Category
2010s Evening Gowns
- PRADA cognac brown LEATHER SHORT SLEEVE SHIFT Dress 42 MBy PradaLocated in Zürich, CH100% authentic Prada short-sleeve. shift dress in cognac brown lambskin. Lined in cupro (93%) and elastane (7%). Opens with a zipper on the back. Has been worn once and is in excelle...Category
2010s Day Dresses
- Pink Sequin and beaded flame hem dress 1980sLocated in West Palm Beach, FLPink Sequin and beaded flame hem dress from the 1980s...Pale pink with iridescent sequins, scoop neck line, sleeveless dress in silk...Irregular hemline looks like flames...Fully lin...Category
20th Century French Cocktail Dresses
- Amazing Vintage Tiger King Animal Print Silky Sequin Beaded Caftan Maxi DressLocated in San Diego, CAChannel your inner Joe Exotic or Carol Baskin in this amazing vintage animal print kaftan maxi dress ! Sequins and beads sewn around the collar. Features leopards, giraffes, etc prin...Category
Late 20th Century American Caftans
- 1950s Sa'Bett of California Demi Couture Gold Silk Brocade Vintage 50s DressLocated in San Diego, CAGorgeous 1950 SA'BETT of CALIFORNIA demi couture gold silk brocade belted sleeveless sheath dress ! Features a luxurious silk brocade fabric that offers just the right amount of glim...Category
1950s American Cocktail Dresses
- Chic 1960s Lotus Orchid Novelty Flower Print Short Puff Sleeve A Line 60s DressLocated in San Diego, CAChic late 1960s lotus orchid novelty flower print short puff sleeve vintage A-Line dress! Features a dark purple background with bubblegum pink, orange, yellow, and lavender purple l...Category
1960s 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.