Yves Saint Laurent 1980's Snow Leopard Sweater
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Length: 26.78 in (68 cm)Marked Size: M (EU)Bust: 18.9 in (48 cm)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Seattle, WA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2651221149052
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: Ha Noi, Vietnam
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Shinya Kozuka Kroyer Mohair SweaterLocated in Seattle, WAShinya Kozuka - the eponymous brand founded in 2015 with clear vision of reviving minimalism design through subtly loud, gentle maximalism approachment. The concept of the brand is...Category
2010s Japanese Pullovers
- Comme des Garcons HOMME A/W1988 Shield SweatshirtBy Comme des Garcons HommeLocated in Seattle, WAThis is one of the earliest print motifs appeared on HOMME line while the line was in charged by Keiichi Tanaka. The shield motifs garments included sweatshirt, shirt and a hybrid S...Category
1980s Japanese Pullovers
- Rick Owens “Dirt” Jumbo Hoodie, Spring Summer 2018By Rick OwensLocated in Seattle, WAFrom Rick Owens Mainline, fits TTS Size: XS, fits like M Condition: 9/10, no significant signs of usage. Feels free to message me with any questions regarding inquiries.Category
2010s French Pullovers
- Off White F/W2017 "Dondi" 1/5 Crewneck SweatshirtBy Virgil AblohLocated in Seattle, WACondition: 9/10. Overall in a very good condition. The item is actually a collaboration with Dondi White - contemporary artist. The context might be confusing for those who familiar...Category
2010s American Pullovers
- Bjork x Kevin Cummings Photograph SweatshirtLocated in Seattle, WASize: M, fits relaxed and slight oversized Condition: 8,5/10. Minor usage, with no damage Feels free to message me with any questions regarding inquiriesCategory
21st Century and Contemporary American Pullovers
- Kansai Yamamoto South America V-Neck Sweater, 1980'sBy Kansai YamamotoLocated in Seattle, WADavid Bowie's Designer-du-jour. Kansai Yamamoto pieces always come with great fabric, fitting and sophisticated craftmanship. Condition: 9/10, near mint, no flaws Size on tag: M F...Category
1980s Japanese Pullovers
- Wool burgundy cardigan with printed silk CélineBy CelineLocated in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FRWool burgundy cardigan with printed silk.Shoulder-pad. Extra-button provided. SIZE LCategory
1970s Italian Cardigans
- Off-white cardigan with zip in the middle front Ted Lapidus TricotsBy Ted LapidusLocated in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FROff-white cardigan with zip in the middle front. Fabric composition: acrylic SIZE SCategory
1970s European Cardigans
- Dior x Raf Simons Pre-Fall 2015 Sequin High Neck Sleeveless SweaterBy Raf Simons for Christian Dior, Christian DiorLocated in London, GBAbsolutely stunning Dior sequin embellished sleeveless sweater from the Pre-Fall 2015 Collection. Bought for £1500 and unworn. Made from fine, super soft grey wool and silk mix with...Category
2010s French Sweater Vests
- Missoni Chevron Pattern Knitted Cotton TopBy MissoniLocated in London, GBMissoni Chevron Pattern Knitted Cotton Top Multicoloured knitwear designed with the brand's signature chevron pattern. Featuring deep V-Neck to the front and rear, short sleeves an...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Sweater Vests
- Missoni Chevron Pattern Cotton Knit VestBy MissoniLocated in London, GBMissoni Chevron Pattern Cotton Knit Vest Multicoloured knitwear designed with the brand's signature chevron pattern. Featuring ribbed hem and crew neckline. Size – 44IT Conditio...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Sweater Vests
- LORO PIANA cream cashmere OVERSIZED Turtleneck Sweater SBy Loro PianaLocated in Zürich, CH100% authentic Loro Piana turtleneck sweater in cream cashmere (60%) and polyamide (40%). Features a relaxed, oversize silhouette, dropped shoulders, rib knit turtleneck, cuffs and h...Category
2010s French Cardigans
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.