Saint Laurent Black Calfskin Matelasse Monogram Lou Camera Bag
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Height: 6.25 in (15.88 cm)Depth: 2.5 in (6.35 cm)Length: 9 in (22.86 cm)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:
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. Under creative director Hedi Slimane, the house’s ready-to-wear collection was rebranded as Saint Laurent in 2012.
Browse an extraordinary collection of vintage 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.
- Chanel Black Patent Leather Quilted Single Flap Maxi Classic BagBy ChanelLocated in New York, NYChanel Black Patent Leather Single Flap Maxi Bag Made In: Italy Year of Production: 2009-2010 Color: Black Hardware: Silvertone Materials: Patent leather Lining: Black smooth leathe...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Structured Shoulder Bags
- Chanel Blue-Green Lambskin Quilted 19 Wallet On Chain WOC Crossbody BagBy ChanelLocated in New York, NYChanel Blue-Green Quilted 19 Wallet On Chain WOC Crossbody Bag Made In: Italy Color: Blue-green Hardware: Goldtone, darkened silver, ruthenium Materials: Lambskin leather Lining: Le...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Crossbody Bags and Messenger Bags
- Louis Vuitton Blueberry Blue Epi Leather Alma BB Crossbody BagBy Louis VuittonLocated in New York, NYLouis Vuitton Blueberry Epi Leather Alma BB Crossbody Top Handle Bag Made In: USA Color: Blueberry blue Hardware: Silvertone hardware Materials: Epi leather Lining: Microfiber lini...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Crossbody Bags and Messenger Bags
- Gucci NEW Purple GG Small Marmont Crossbody BagBy GucciLocated in New York, NYGucci NEW Candy Mousse Purple GG Small Marmont Crossbody Bag Made In: Itay Color: Purple Hardware: Goldtone Materials: Matelassé leather Lining: Cotton linen Closure/Opening: Zip to...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Crossbody Bags and Messenger Bags
- Gucci White Leather Small GG Logo Blondie Crossbody BagBy GucciLocated in New York, NYGucci White Leather Small Blondie Crossbody Bag Made In: Italy Color: White Hardware: Goldtone Materials: leather Lining: Cotton linen Closure/Opening: Zip top Exterior Pockets: Non...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Crossbody Bags and Messenger Bags
- Chanel 2024 Blue Lambskin Leather Quilted Rectangular Mini FlapBy ChanelLocated in New York, NYChanel 2024 Blue Lambskin Leather Rectangular Mini Flap Bag Made In: Italy Year of Production: 2024 Color: Blue Hardware: Silvertone Materials: Lambskin l...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Crossbody Bags and Messenger Bags
- Gucci Cowfur Leather Messenger BagBy GucciLocated in LISSE, NLGucci Cowfur Leather Messenger Bag Extremely rare Gucci cowfur leather messenger bag. In great condition without overall flaws. Made in Italy. Height 11.81 in 30 cm Width 11.42 i...Category
Early 2000s Crossbody Bags and Messenger Bags
- GUCCI Quilted Floral Trapuntata Crossbody 4GK0104KBy GucciLocated in Dix hills, NYGUCCI Quilted Floral Trapuntata Crossbody 4GK0104K Date Code/Serial Number: 534951534568 Made In: Italy Measurements: Length: 7" Width: 2" Height: 5" Shoulder Handle Drop: 25 " ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Crossbody Bags and Messenger Bags
- S/S 1997 Gucci by Tom Ford Runway Convertible Charcoal Leather Flat BagBy Gucci, Tom Ford for GucciLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting a convertible leather convertible crossbody designed by Tom Ford for Gucci's Spring/Summer 1997 collection. Debuting in the season's runway presentation, this bag also app...Category
1990s Italian Crossbody Bags and Messenger Bags
- Fendi Beige Leather and Fox Micro Monster Feet Crossbody BagBy FendiLocated in Dubai, Al Qouz 2Trust this Fendi Micro Monster Feet bag to be light, durable, and comfortable to carry. It is crafted beautifully using the best materials to be a durable style ally.Category
2010s Crossbody Bags and Messenger Bags
- Jean Paul Gaultier Metal Khaki Military Army Vintage Shiny Men Crossbody BagBy Jean Paul GaultierLocated in PARIS, FRCrossbody bag by Jean Paul Gaultier. 2 pockets. The front pocket has the zip which goes almost all around, and inside there are 3 pockets and flats credits-cards pockets. The back ...Category
1980s Italian Crossbody Bags and Messenger Bags
- 2020s Celine Large Folco Crossbody Bag in Triomphe Canvas and CalfskinBy CelineLocated in Arnhem, NLCeline large Folco bag in triomphe canvas and calfskin. The bag features an adjustable in length canvas shoulder strap, gold tone hardware, and canvas lined interior. The bag will b...Category
2010s French Crossbody Bags and Messenger Bags
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.
This Golden Saint Laurent Handbag Feels Like a Disco-Era Throwback (in the Best Way Possible)
If you're looking for an accessory that brings the party, this is it.