Ensemble YVES SAINT LAURENT Black Top and Skirt
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: S (EU)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Paris, FR
- 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: Paris, France
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Christian Lacroix "Bazar" Tuxedo in Black FabricLocated in Paris, FRChristian Lacroix 'Bazar' tuxedo in black fabric. Made in France. Satin lapel collar. Two patch pockets. High-waisted trousers that closes with a silver-plated button and a zipper. ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Trouser Pant Suits
- CHANEL Jacket and Skirt SetBy ChanelLocated in Paris, FRBeautiful Chanel set with yellow jacket and skirt in size 36 Condition: excellent Made in France Materials: tweed, strass, silk Color: yellow, gold Size: 36FR Lining: yellow Dimensi...Category
2010s French Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Beautiful Chanel Top and Skirt SetBy ChanelLocated in Paris, FRBeautiful Chanel set, top t 38 FR and skirt t 40 FR, material: 70% metal and 23% polyamide. New condition. Recent collection. The top and the skirt are in delicate lace with gold an...Category
2010s French Skirt Suits
- Alaia Skirt in Denim and Vest In Viscose, Set Size 36FRBy Azzedine AlaïaLocated in Paris, FRAlaïa set skirt in jeans and vest in viscose size 36 FR. High waist denim skirt in denim, striped with thin strips of genuine leather, zipper on the back. T...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Skirt Suits
- Chanel Fuchsia Silk Blouse and Skirt SetBy ChanelLocated in Paris, FRChanel blouse and skirt set in fuchsia silk. Size 36FR Wrap skirt with a button in molten glass encrusted with brilliants and oval plum and a green cabochon in molten glass. The bl...Category
2010s French Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Chanel Paris-Bombay Vest And Skirt SetBy ChanelLocated in Paris, FRCondition: very good Made in France Size : 40FR Material : tweed Lining : 100% silk Color : ecru, silver details Size: Skirt T36 / Jacket T40 Dimensions flat: Jacket: shoulders 40 cm...Category
2010s French Twin Sets
- Dolce & Gabbana black viscose ruched harem jumpsuit, ss 1991By Dolce & GabbanaLocated in Milano, IT- Ruched cropped crotch - Sold by Skof.Archive - Hidden zipper on the back - Hight Waist - Harem Pants - Spring Summer 1991 Size: FR 38 - IT 42 - UK 10 - US 6 (EU) Measurements...Category
1990s Italian Jumpsuits
- Gucci by Tom Ford black croc embossed evening pant suit, ss 2000By Tom Ford for Gucci, GucciLocated in London, GBGucci by Tom Ford black croc embossed flared pant suit with silver diamanté clasp fastening. Spring-Summer 2000Category
1990s Italian Trouser Pant Suits
- Gianni Versace black striped jacquard wool tunic and pants set, fw 1999By Gianni VersaceLocated in London, GBGianni Versace black striped jacquard wool tunic and pants set. Mid length tunic with high slits on side seams and sleeves. High rise slim fit pants. Fall-Winter 1999Category
1990s Italian Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Claude Montana navy knitted three piece pant suit, ss 1994By Claude MontanaLocated in London, GBClaude Montana navy fitted three piece pant suit comprising: long open cardigan with side slits, scoop neck bodysuit and flared pants with built-in shorts and side slits. Spring-Su...Category
1990s French Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- John Galliano black and white skirt suit, ss 2000By John GallianoLocated in London, GBJohn Galliano black and white skirt suit comprising: v-neck ruched vest and maxi skirt with front and back high leg slit. Spring-Summer 2000Category
1990s French Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Jean Paul Gaultier blue wool and velvet cape jacket, skirt and scarf, fw 1984By Jean Paul GaultierLocated in London, GBJean Paul Gaultier blue wool ensemble comprising: cape jacket with black velvet sleeves and large button fastening, ruched ankle length skirt and matching scarf. Fall-Winter 1984Category
1980s Italian Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
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.