An Saint Laurent Rive Gauche Ballets Russes Collection Coat Circa 1976 - 1978
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: Equivalent French Size 36/38 (EU)
- Style:1976 – 1978 (Of the Period)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Excellent condition and color.
- Seller Location:Toulon, FR
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU63335179153
Yves Saint Laurent
French fashion 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, he 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: Toulon, France
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 2 days of delivery.
- A French Couture Bar Jacket Beads & Sequins Embroidered Sequins Circa 1950Located in Toulon, FRCirca 1945/1950 France Majestic Evening jacket of type Bar, probably haute couture, dating from the years 1945/1950. No labelled. Structured jacket with notched clips, black silk f...Category
1940s French Jackets
- A Versace Cardinal Purple Velvet Evening Tuxedo Jacket Circa 2000By VersaceLocated in Toulon, FRCirca 2000/2005 Italy Beautiful evening tuxedo jacket out of purple cardinal velvet from the famous Milanese House directed by Donatella Versace. Italian chic for this long jacket w...Category
Early 2000s Italian Tuxedo Jackets
- An Ottoman Block Printed Cotton and Silk Coat Circa 1920Located in Toulon, FRCirca 1920-1940 Turkey Ethnic Ottoman Kaftan coat treated in a reversible way, from Turkey. On the right side, a finely striped cherry silk, with side...Category
Early 20th Century Turkish Coats
- Jean-Paul Gaultier Jacket model 1057 with Cocteau-type effigy Circa 1995By Jean Paul Gaultier Classique, Jean Paul GaultierLocated in Toulon, FRCirca 1995 France Beautiful two-tone jacket by Jean-Paul Gaultier Classique model numbered 1057 and dating from the years 1995. Classic cut with three pockets in burgundy tergal ca...Category
1990s French Tuxedo Jackets
- A Jacques Doucet French Couture Evening Taffeta Silk Mantle, Circa 1900Located in Toulon, FRCirca 1890/1900 Paris Evening mantle from the famous designer Jacques Doucet who had as assistant Paul Poiret and Madeleine Vionnet. Changing taffeta ...Category
1890s French Dinner Jackets
- A Black and silver Lanvin jacket - Circa 1980By Jeanne LanvinLocated in Toulon, FRCirca 1980 France Jacket in black acetate printed with silver pellets. Raglan cut with wide sleeves tightened at the wrists. Mao collar and two pockets in...Category
1980s French Domino Jackets
- 1940s Lilli Ann Black and White Avant Garde Wool Vintage 40s Peplum Jacket CoatBy Lilli AnnLocated in San Diego, CAChic 1940 LILLI ANN black and white Avant Garde wool jacket ! Features the finest soft wool fabric that was imported from France. Fabric covered buttons up the front. Flared honeyco...Category
1940s American Single-Breasted Jackets
- 1990s Alessandro Dell'Acqua Size 46 / US 10 Black Silk Satin Look Vintage BlazerBy Alessandro Dell'AcquaLocated in San Diego, CAChic late 90s ALESSANDRO DELL'ACQUA black silk satin look blazer jacket ! Smart tailored fit, with two buttons up the front. Pockets at each side of the waist. Fully lined. The perfe...Category
1990s Italian Blazers
- 1990s Romeo Gigli Size 6 Army Green Rayon / Wool Vintage 90s Cropped JacketBy Romeo GigliLocated in San Diego, CAChic 1990s ROMEO GIGLI army hunter green rayon and wool cropped blazer jacket ! The perfect army green color will match everything, and is perfect all year. Lightweight soft fabric. ...Category
1990s Italian Cropped Jackets
- TOM FORD black PERFORATED LEATHER TRENCH Coat Jacket 36 XXSBy Tom FordLocated in Zürich, CHTom Ford belted coat in black perforated nappa leather, nubuk and lambskin featuring gold-tone hardware. Unlined. Has been worn and is in excellent condition. Tag Size 34 Size XXS ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Jackets
- TOM FORD green cotton linen BELTED FITTED MILITARY Jacket 42 MBy Tom FordLocated in Zürich, CHTom Ford fitted military jacket in olive green cotton (55%) and linen (45%) with a notch collar, apaulettes, two keyhole chest pockets, two front flap pockets and decorative belted c...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Jackets
- TOM FORD black silk OVERSIZED DOUBLE ZIP PONCHO Jacket 36 XXSBy Tom FordLocated in Zürich, CHTom Ford oversized poncho blouson jacket in black silk (100%) with double zipper detail and drawstring around hips. Brand new. Tag Size 36 Size XXS Shoulder Width 36cm (14in) Bust ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Jackets
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.