Yves Saint Laurent Silk Beaded Maxi Dress
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Length: 55 in (139.7 cm)Bust: 36 in (91.44 cm)Waist: 52 in (132.08 cm)Hip: 52 in (132.08 cm)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Scottsdale, AZ
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU167215591392
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: Scottsdale, AZ
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 1 day of delivery.
- 1980s Zandra Rhodes Abstract Motif Drop Waist Silk DressBy Zandra RhodesLocated in Scottsdale, AZLooking For The Perfect 80s Dress? Well It's Arrived! Circa 1980s, this Zandra Rhodes asymmetrical drop waist dress features a cream and black pattern of flowers, swirls and tribal i...Category
1980s English Evening Dresses
- Fendi 1990s Python Mesh DressBy FendiLocated in Scottsdale, AZFeeling this Fendi? Add it to your collection! Circa 1990s/early 2000s, this mesh mini dress features a magnified python pattern, genuine python appliqué on the front and back, a win...Category
1990s Italian Day Dresses
- Pamella Roland Breaded Emerald Evening GownBy Pamella RolandLocated in Scottsdale, AZA timeless evening gown with beautiful beaded sleeves by Pamella Roland. This dress is a classic piece that could be worn for a day or night time event. A gown like this in your closet is sure to always be a go to every time! It is composed of silk satin with nice, billowy sleeves that end with an elegant beaded detailing, a feature that really makes this gown glow. Pair this gown with Yves Saint Laurent strappy heels, Kennth Lane earrings and a Prada handbag for a perfect evening look, or dress it down with Chanel flats for a daytime look. Either way you’ll be shining! Pamella Roland debuted its Fall 2002 couture...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Evening Dresses
- Chanel Cashmere Knit Plane Pins Navy Blue DressBy ChanelLocated in Scottsdale, AZKnits aren't what your grandma used to make back in the 80s! This elegant Chanel knitted dress circa 2008 is crafted from navy blue cotton-cashmere-silk blend, with a sailor collar and a chest detail, embellished with gradient-sized silver-toned metal plane pins. We love grandma, but it's best if she leaves the knitting to Chanel. Featuring a knitted style, a ribbed design, a sailor collar, a front zip fastening, a long-sleeve design, a fitted skirt, a short length and three silver plane pins on the chest. Please be mindful that this piece has led a previous life, and may tell its story through minor imperfection. This would be perfect paired with some Christian Dior sneakers...Category
Early 2000s Mini Dress
- JEAN PAUL GAULTIER Femme S/S 2001 Rust Brown Constellation Faces Maxi DressBy Jean Paul GaultierLocated in Scottsdale, AZJean Paul Gaultier lovers this way!! Gautlier is known as the "troublemaker" and is highly known to take risks and push the envelope. He celebrates femininity in any and every possib...Category
Early 2000s Italian Maxi Dresses
- 2000s Anthony Vaccarello for Versus Versace Strapless DressBy VersaceLocated in Scottsdale, AZThe Sexiest Cocktail Dress Is Here! Circa late 2000s, this dress is designed by Anthony Vaccarello who created a capsule collection for Versus Versace from 2014-2016. This mini strap...Category
2010s Italian Mini Dresses
- Emanuel Ungaro New Leather Color Block Dress 1980sBy Emanuel UngaroLocated in Water Mill, NYA fabulous soft, supple leather dress by Emanuel Ungaro in black and grey. It has a crew neckline, long sleeves with zipper cuffs and shoulder pads. The dress is black with an angul...Category
1980s Italian Day Dresses
- Emanuel Ungaro Check Draped DressBy Emanuel UngaroLocated in Water Mill, NYA great fine black and white small check light weight wool dress by Emanuel Ungaro. It has a crew neckline, fabulous leg o mutton sleeves with zipper and ...Category
1990s French Day Dresses
- Pierre Cardin 1960s Space Age DressBy Pierre CardinLocated in Water Mill, NYA fabulous off white wool dress by Pierre Cardin. It is an A line sleeveless dress with a stand up collar and hem highlighted with rows of top stitchi...Category
1960s French Day Dresses
- Vicky Tiel Silk Damask Dress 1980sBy Vicky TielLocated in Water Mill, NYA beautiful off white silk damask dress with a red flower print from Vicky Tiel. It has front pockets and closes with self covered buttons. The cap sleev...Category
1980s French Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Tom Ford New Plunge Dress with Cut outsBy Tom FordLocated in Water Mill, NYAn incredible dress from Tom Ford in off white silk. It has a plunging neckline, long sleeves with zippers at the wrists and black mesh covered oval cut outs at the side hips, side ...Category
2010s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Tom Ford for Gucci Silk Python Print Dress SS 2000By Gucci, Tom FordLocated in Water Mill, NYA fabulous iconic python print silk jersey dress from Tom Ford for Gucci S/S 2000 collection in shades of grey. It has a leather cord closing with a Gucci inscribed silver metal cl...Category
Early 2000s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
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.