1980s Yves Saint Laurent Silver Satin Ankle-Cross Stillettos W/ Pointed Toe
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: 10 (US)
- Style:1980s Glamour (Of the Period)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Gresham, OR
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU506732202
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: Gresham, OR
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 7 days of delivery.
- 1980s Christian Dior Peau De Soie Ankle-Strap Open-Toe Pumps W/ Rhinestone TrimBy Christian DiorLocated in Gresham, ORChristian Dior Peau De Soie Open-Toe Ankle-Strap High-Heeled Pumps W/ Rhinestone Trimmed Rectangle at Ankle. Lined in silver leather. Size 10Category
1980s French Shoes
- 1990s Giancarlo Paoli Magenta & Periwinkle Leather Stiletto MulesBy Giancarlo PaoliLocated in Gresham, OR1990s Giancarlo Paoli magenta and periwinkle leather stiletto mules. Vamp is slit on sides and has decorative stitching at center. Modern and retro at ...Category
1990s Italian Shoes
- Nicholas Ungar Suede D'Orsay Shoes With Sculptural Rolled Tab Design, 1940sBy Nicholas UngarLocated in Gresham, ORA wonderful 1940s pair of Nicholas Ungar slate gray suede D'Orsay shoes with a high vamp and sculptural wired tabs at heel and throat that curl out.Category
1940s American Shoes
- 1920s Art Deco Black Silk Evening Pumps w Beautiful Marcasite Beading at ThroatLocated in Gresham, ORA beautiful Art Deco pair of 1920s Meier and Frank Co. French-made black peau de soie silk pump with a mid-height heel, slightly pointed toe and a beau...Category
1920s French Shoes
- 1960's Quality Craft Burlap Plaid Wedge PlatformsLocated in Gresham, ORA funky pair of Quality Craft plaid wedge platforms. Saddle leather, woven front and ankle strap. Fits about a modern size 6.5 -7 medium.Category
1960s American Shoes
- 1950s Henry Waters - Black Suede and Velvet Spring-O-Lators w Rhinestone BuckleLocated in Gresham, OR1950s Henry Waters - Shoes of Consequence black suede and velvet Spring-O-Lators with rhinestone buckle trimmed bow (lined in pink). Size 7M.Category
1950s American Shoes
- Bottega Veneta Silver Ankle BootBy Bottega VenetaLocated in Thousand Oaks, CASilver ankle boot by Bottega Veneta with block heels and almond shaped toes. Original tags still attached, and comes with original box. Size 37. Retail value: $740.Category
21st Century and Contemporary Shoes
- 1980s Escada Silver Leather Rhinestone Embellished Strappy SandalsBy Escada, Margaretha LeyLocated in Munich, DEThese metallic silver leather strappy sandals crafted in Italy are embellished with beautiful pastel-hued different-sized rhinestones at the front. They feature an open soft square t...Category
1980s Italian Shoes
- Le Silla Studded Silver Boots 38By Le SillaLocated in Gazzaniga (BG), ITVery beautiful pair of boots by Le Silla Leather Silver color Bronze colored studs applicated Heel height cm 9 (3.54 inches) Made in Italy Worldwide express shipping included i...Category
2010s Italian Shoes
- Giuseppe Zanotti Italian Silver Leather Avant-garde Platform Shoes 21st CBy Giuseppe ZanottiLocated in University City, MOGiuseppe Zanotti Italian silver metallic leather avant-garde ankle strap peep toe platform shoes Size 36.5 in box The edgy sky high ankle strap peep toe platform shoes are covered wi...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Shoes
- Hermes Paris Women's Constance Silver Buckle Ivory Leather Italian Loafers 1990sBy HermèsLocated in University City, MOHermes Paris Women's Constance brushed silver buckle bone leather Italian loafers Size 38 The bone color leather loafers are adorned with Hermes' ic...Category
1990s Italian Shoes
- Roberto Del Carlo Silver shoe size 39 1/2Located in Gazzaniga (BG), ITGrey/silver colorCategory
2010s Italian Shoes
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.