Rare Yves Saint Laurent Butterfly Print Blouse, Fall-Winter 1971-1972
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Length: 25.3 in (64.27 cm)Marked Size: FR 38 (US 4-6) (EU)Shoulder to Hem: 23 in (58.42 cm)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. The last mother-of-pearl original button down the front has been replaced by a modern one (barely visible as the new button is nearly like the others).
- Seller Location:Geneva, CH
- 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: Geneva, Switzerland
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
- Marni Runway Printed Silk Shirt Blouse, Spring-Summer 2009By Marni, Consuelo CastiglioniLocated in Geneva, CHDefined by its “quirky elegance”, the Italian label Marni loves playing with colors, patterns and unusual shapes. A perfect example of the reason why Marni is loved by the fashion wo...Category
Early 2000s Italian Blouses and Tops
- Dolce & Gabbana Satin & Lace Gathered Bustier Corset Top, Circa 2001By Dolce & GabbanaLocated in Geneva, CHProbably from the iconic 2001 Spring-Summer collection, this Dolce & Gabbana corset bustier top will for sure enhance your femininity ! Made from glossy powder pink satin, it's desig...Category
Early 2000s Italian Bustiers
- Gucci By Tom Ford Squares GG Logo Silk-Jacquard Shirt, Spring-Summer 1998By Tom Ford, GucciLocated in Geneva, CHChic and timeless, this black shirt from the iconic 1998 Spring-Summer Gucci by Tom Ford collection will prove to be a staple in any wardrobe. Jacquard-woven with lustrous squares GG...Category
1990s Italian Chemises
- Gianni Versace Couture Orchids & Medusa Head Print Halterneck Top, SS2000By Donatella Versace, Gianni Versace CoutureLocated in Geneva, CHEndlessly versatile, this rare SS2000 Gianni Versace Couture asymmetric top is to become your go-to for dinners and parties. Cut from smooth silk jersey, it is gathered along one sid...Category
Early 2000s Italian Halter Tops
- Documented Versace Silk-Twill Baroque Print Shirt Blouse, Fall-Winter 1991By Gianni Versace Couture, Gianni VersaceLocated in Geneva, CHJust one glimpse at this shirt and you'll know it's Versace ! The "Greco-inspired Baroque" print is so genuinely Gianni's style and iconic that Donatella re-issued the same shirt blo...Category
1990s Italian Blouses and Tops
- Chanel By Karl Lagerfeld Runway Padded Quilted Cotton Tank Top, SS2000By Chanel, Karl LagerfeldLocated in Geneva, CHModeled by Devon Aoki at the Spring-Summer 2000 Chanel runway show in yellow color (see video + pictures 4 & 5), this tank top is designed with quilts for a soft, lightly padded feel. Made from light beige cotton, it has a cropped silhouette, lightly close fit. A branded "Chanel Paris" silver metal flat washer is sewn on the front, bottom left. Tagged a French size 38 (US 6 / UK 10 / IT 42), the top is unlined and runs a little bit small to size. Style it with relaxed pants or an elegant stylish skirt like on the Chanel runway show. Pictures 18, 19 & 20 show top model Bella Hadid wearing a similar, tough slightly different tank top at the Monaco Formula One Grand Prix...Category
Early 2000s French Crop Tops
- Vintage Yves Saint Laurent Gold and Black Silk Blouse With Tie At NeckBy Yves Saint LaurentLocated in Portland, ORThis is a beautiful vintage late 1980's or early 1990's Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche copper and black plaid silk blouse. The blouse has a separate sash that can be tied into a knot...Category
1980s European Blouses
- 1990s Fendi by Karl Lagerfeld Tan Silk Vintage 90s Boho Tunic Blouse Size 42By Karl Lagerfeld, FendiLocated in San Diego, CAChic 1990s FENDI, by KARL LAGERFELD tan silk tunic top! Luxurious soft fine silk feels great against the skin. Great with shorts, jeans or trousers. In great condition. Made in Italy...Category
1990s Italian Tunics
- 1970s Suede Leather Fringe Feather Tan Brown Boho Vintage 70s Halter Crop TopLocated in San Diego, CABoho chic 1970s suede leather fringed beaded crop top ! Features ties around the back neck and center back. Side fringe details with feathers. Asymmetrical hem. Very flattering. Pair...Category
1970s American Crop Tops
- Chloe Phoebe Philo Spring 2002 Novelty Monkey Butterfly Print Long Sleeve ShirtBy Chloé, Phoebe PhiloLocated in San Diego, CARare and collectible Spring / Summer 2002 CHLOE by PHOEBE PHILO novelty monkey and butterfly print long sleeve top ! This amazing blouse is from ...Category
Early 2000s French Blouses and Tops
- EMILIO PUCCI c.1960's Brown Multicolor Op Art Signature Print Shirt BlouseBy Emilio PucciLocated in Thiensville, WIEMILIO PUCCI c.1960's Brown Multicolor Op Art Signature Print Shirt Blouse Circa: c.1960’s Label(s): Emilio Pucci Style: Blouse Color(s): Shades of brown, black, grey, white, and ...Category
1960s Italian Blouses
- Tom Ford for Yves Saint Laurent Terra Cotta Tan Jersey Ruffle Sleeveless BlouseBy Tom Ford for Yves Saint Laurent, Yves Saint Laurent Rive GaucheLocated in San Diego, CABeautiful TOM FORD for YVES SAINT LAURENT Rive Gauche YSL terra-cotta / tan jersey ruffle top! Simply slips over the head, and stretches to fit. Flattering ruffles throughout. Expert...Category
Early 2000s Italian Blouses and Tops
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.