Yves Saint Laurent Iconic "Russian" Collection Maroon Crushed Velvet Jacket
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: 34/French (EU)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2472211143
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: New York, NY
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Eskandar for Bergdorf Goodman Black Cotton Smock Oversize JacketLocated in New York, NYEskandar for Bergdorf Goodman oversize black cotton smock-style jacket is detailed with two front patch pockets. The front has six buttons in matching black. The sides has sl...Category
1990s English Cropped Jackets
- Canali Men's Black Quilted "Two-Way" Zippered Vest with Knitted-Ribbed CollarBy CanaliLocated in New York, NYCanali's wonderful and classically elegant signature men's black quilted zippered vest is detailed with a "two-way" zippered for the option to un-zip one end, while keeping th...Category
1990s Italian Vests
- The Den (Beverly Hills) Black Silk Lined Hand-Sequined 'Open' Evening JacketLocated in New York, NYThe Den of Beverly Hills black silk lined 3/4 sleeve hand sequined 'open' evening jacket measures 20" in total length. The shoulder measures 16&quo...Category
1980s American Cropped Jackets
- Comme des Garcons Plush Black Wool Accented with Multi-Abstract Patchwork JacketBy Comme des Garcons HommeLocated in New York, NYComme des Garcons wonderfully plush wool accented with assorted multi-abstract patchwork button men's jacket, has two inset pockets as well as a single breast pocket in front and fin...Category
Early 2000s Japanese Jackets
- Issey Miyake "Limited Edition" Jet-Black High-Collared, 2-Way Zipper JacketBy Issey MiyakeLocated in New York, NYIssey Miyake "Limited Edition" jet-black with high-collared jacket has a two-way zipper for better comfort when desired. The hemline features a drawstring for better comfort when win...Category
Early 2000s Japanese Jackets
- Ferragamo Men's Mid-Night Black Lambskin Fully-Lined Zippered JacketBy Salvatore FerragamoLocated in New York, NYFerragamo men's Mid-night Black lambskin fully-lined zippered jacket offers 2 interior breast pockets. There are also 2 exterior pockets in front. Det...Category
1990s Italian Jackets
- Dolce & Gabbana lamé brocade double-breasted blazer jacket, ss 1993By Dolce & GabbanaLocated in London, GB▪ Dolce & Gabbana multicoloured double-breasted blazer jacket ▪ The textile consists of a patchwork of colourful lamé brocades and floral jacquards ▪ Large antique-style metal butto...Category
1990s Italian Blazers
- Issey Miyake black nylon oversized parachute coat, fw 1987By Issey MiyakeLocated in London, GBIssey Miyake; Black nylon oversized parachute coat with batwing sleeves and two front pockets Fall-Winter 1987Category
1990s Japanese Jackets
- Dior Black Wool Long Sleeve Blazer XLBy Christian DiorLocated in Dubai, Al Qouz 2Finely tailored and stunning, this blazer from the House of Dior will let you keep your attire on point. It is fashioned using black wool fabric and flaunts buttoned cuffs, long slee...Category
2010s Italian Blazers
- 1970s Debeaux Multicolour JacketLocated in Capri, IT1970s Debeaux Multicolour Jacket Embellished botton Totally made in italy in italian size range 44Category
1970s Italian Jackets
- Pamela Flower embellished Blu jacketLocated in Capri, ITPamela Flower embellished Blu jacket Inside Leopard Totally made in italy in size MCategory
1980s Italian Jackets
- Black&white tweed " trompe l'oeil" double-lay jacket Proenza SchoulerBy Proenza SchoulerLocated in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FRBlack&white tweed " trompe l'oeil" double-lay jacket. Fabric composition: 90% silk 10% cotton. Black rayon lining. SIZE 4 USCategory
2010s 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.