Yves Saint Laurent x Stefano Pilati 2008 Grey Cashmere Bell Skirt Dress
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: 36 (EU)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU3909221127912
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 PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Prada Fall 2018 Logo Circuit Panel Body Con DressBy Miuccia Prada, PradaLocated in London, GBFuturistic cool Prada body con dress from the Fall 2018 collection. New with tag. Made from super stretchy black polyester knit with a raised grey circuit b...Category
2010s Unknown Sheath Dresses
- Samantha Sung Florance Polka Dot Swing DressLocated in London, GBUtterly charming vintage inspired Samantha Sung Florance dress from Samantha Sung. Bought for $1075 and unworn. Made from two layers of ultra soft navy and white polka dot cotton Musola cotton with 3% spandex, It has a super flattering 1950s fit and flare...Category
2010s French Tea Gowns
- Christopher Kane Crepe, Lace and Patent Black DressBy Christopher KaneLocated in London, GBSuper cool little black dress from Christopher Kane. Bought for £900 and unworn. Made from black viscose and polyester crepe with lace and patent panelling. It has classic shift cut ...Category
2010s French Aesthetic Day Dresses
- Dior x Raf Simons Dior Pre-Fall 2015 Plaid Wool DressBy Christian Dior, Raf Simons for Christian DiorLocated in London, GBSuper sleek and pretty Christian Dior dress from the Fall 2014 Collection. Bought for £2950 and unworn. Made from beautifully textured pale blue viscose mix brocade with a soft silk ...Category
2010s French Aesthetic Day Dresses
- Marni SS06 Grey Silk Slip DressBy Marni, Consuelo CastiglioniLocated in London, GBGorgeous Marni vintage slip dress - from Spring 2006 and worn once. Made from super soft blue/grey and beige silk with a soft, a-line fit and racer back....Category
Early 2000s Unknown Casual Dresses
- Marni Archival Purple Draped Crepe DressBy Consuelo Castiglioni, MarniLocated in London, GBGorgeous vintage Marni dress. Has been newly dry cleaned. Made from soft purple viscose crepe with beautiful draping to the front, side pockets, wide straps and flattering empire lin...Category
Early 2000s Unknown Casual Dresses
- Lela Rose Ivory Cotton Blend Sleeveless Patchwork Dress - 8By Lela RoseLocated in West Palm Beach, FLLela Rose Ivory Cotton Blend Sleeveless Patchwork Dress - 8. This fitted dress is in excellent condition and has a unique look. The patchwork is comprised of squares and the piece ha...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Day Dresses
- Emilio Pucci Aqua Silk Chiffon Long Sleeve Dress with Sheer Cutouts - 10By Emilio PucciLocated in West Palm Beach, FLEmilio Pucci Aqua Silk Chiffon Long Sleeve Dress with Sheer Cutouts - 10. This dress is in very good condition with some pulling throughout, consistent with such a fragile piece. The...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Day 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
- Tomasz Starzewski Ivory Soutache Lace Strapless Dress w/ Jacket-12-90'sBy Tomasz StarzewskiLocated in West Palm Beach, FLTomasz Starzewski Ivory Soutache Lace Strapless Dress w/ Jacket-12-90's This perfect vintage summer piece is made of a beautiful soutache lace, the dres...Category
1990s English Day Dresses
- Yves Saint Laurent Variation shirt DressLocated in Carnate, ITYves Saint Laurent Variation shirt dress. Vintage item. Very stylish. light blue color. Composition and size label missing. We think it's silk. Fits multiple sizes. Shoulders 42 cm Bust 48...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Casual Dresses
- VERSACE OFF WHITE METAL HARDWARE EMBELLISHED LEATHER Dress 44 - 10By VersaceLocated in Montgomery, TXVERSACE Off white Leather Dress Gold-tone hardware Back zipper Sleeveless Knee length Content: 100% leather armpit to armpit 18" wai...Category
2010s 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.