#2821 $3,950
Yves Saint Laurent numbered couture evening gown, 1970s
Over his prolific 40-year career, Yves Saint Laurent mastered many different styles and created a body of worked that places him in the pantheon of great designers. He is considered one of the top three couturiers of the second half of the 20th century, along with his mentor Christian Dior and Cristobal Balenciaga.
Saint Laurent was hired by Dior in 1955. When Dior died suddenly in 1957, the 21-year-old Saint Laurent took over the House of Dior. In 1961 Saint Laurent founded his own couture house. His collections were immediately celebrated for their youthfulness and beauty. He presented boldly graphic works in vivid colors for the Mondrian Look of Autumn-Winter 1965 and for the Pop Art collection of Autumn-Winter 1966.
His innovations shaped modern haute couture. Here is a partial list: the pantsuit for women; the “safari suit”; the “smoking tuxedo” for eveningwear; and the other elements of his design vocabulary (smock, chemise, peasant blouse, tunic).
Saint Laurent's Rich Peasant collection of 1976 brought haute couture out of a critical period, making it relevant again. He retired after presenting his last haute couture collection for Spring-Summer 2002. For additional information on the career and achievements of the master couturier, please see the Saint Laurent evening pantsuit also listed.
Yves Saint Laurent was the first designer to use black models in his runway shows. In homage to his forward thinking, I photographed the gown on a black mannequin.
The uncluttered clean lines are classic on this elegant toga-style evening gown. Though simple in shape, the gown is unmistakably couture. The exquisite hand-beaded detail and luxurious drape of the heavy silk faille cannot be found in ready-to-wear. The gown, which appears effortlessly unconstructed in the manner of wrapping a towel around the body, is indeed highly constructed on the inside to ensure the proper drape.
The gown is fashioned from substantial-weight ivory silk faille and is totally lined with matching silk crepe. The bodice features a built-in boned corset—see the pictures below. The gown closes with a concealed zipper under the wrapped front. The magenta hand-embroidered borders combine silk floss, faux metallic braid, bugle beads, loops of small glass beads, and faceted ball beads in a beautifully textured mix.
From 1962-2002, the Yves Saint Laurent label was the most coveted in haute couture, available to about 25 women worldwide who could afford the unparalleled quality of his haute couture pieces. This numbered couture evening gown is one of those pieces. For insight into the pricing of high end vintage clothing vs. comparable new designer clothing, especially with regard to haute couture, please see my new article on The Vintage Advantage.
The condition is excellent.
It measures: 36" bust, 28" waist, 42" hip, and 50 1/2" from the top to the bottom.
