• The twin of this tunic walked the runway in the Fall 1985 YSL Haute Couture collection for Look 43.
• It was made under the creative direction of Yves Saint Laurent.
• This is the collection that the book 'Yves Saint Laurent: Catwalk' notes that "silence reigned during the catwalk presentation for which YSL had decided not to include music. The models processed noiselessly into the salon of the Hotel Intercontinental. This was a collection of essentials for an autumn/winter that was marked by a sobriety, simplicity and purity". French Vogue said "the woman herself was showcased in her typical Parisian elegance". The review specifically noted the use of purple balancing out the more sombre blue, brown and greys. Several variations of the shape of this tunic were shown on that runway.
• In the YSL folio that contains all the drawings from the collection we found the original sketch for the look.
• I love that it started with the scarf that matches the folio drawing and then as the model proceeded down the runway the scarf was removed and she had a fabulous jewelled choker underneath.
• Yves always cut his couture pieces so perfectly. In my opinion owning a piece of his couture work is one of the ultimate vintage acquisitions.
  
• It would have been made entirely by hand in the Paris atelier. 
• The tunic is made from a high-end wool jersey that holds it shape and drapes beautifully.
• This is a gorgeous and versatile piece. It can be worn open and easy. layered under other pieces. or belted. I have added a simple black grosgrain ribbon around the waist for some of the photos to show you how the shape changes once belted. The ribbon is not original to the tunic but I will include it.
• The neckline is scooped and the shoulders have handmade padding underneath to hold that perfect 1980s shape.
• The top of one shoulder is detailed with three buttons and all of these buttons are functional.
• The sleeves are set wide into the body of the tunic and gathered at the top for a slight cap affect. They billow out to be very full and open all the way to the cuff. The cuffs are finished so that the sleeve gather into them. The cuffs themselves are also slightly over-sized in their diameter.
• The body of the tunic is extremely loose and easy and widens out as it nears the hem. It is intentionally made to feel over-sized. This makes it very easy to fit on a variety of body types.
• I love the seam that runs down just inside of the outer edges on both sides. These end in a curve at the hem and there is a slit on both sides. Just above the slits are hidden set pockets.
• The back has a defined seam that runs down its centre and the zipper is hidden underneath it. Once on the body it appears to have no closures.
• It is a fantastic piece of true Couture and an easy way to work in some YSL vintage magic into your wardrobe.
• The tunic is fully lined in a handset matching purple silk through the body and the sleeves are unlined. It closes with a zipper at the back. The buttons on the top of the shoulder are functional. Pockets on each side. 
• There is no size tag present because it is true Couture. Please go by the measurements listed below.
• Excellent condition

Sleeves: 22.5" and they are approximately 20" around the upper arm
Shoulders: 15.25"
Bust: to 21" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: to 23" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 28" flat across from side seam to side seam
Total length: 29" from neck to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD5664

Reference Photo: Fall 1985 Yves Saint Laurent Haute Couture, Look 43.

All items are thoroughly checked over before shipping. Unless noted everything in our shop has been professionally cleaned. All sales are final. Overseas clients will be emailed to obtain agreement to our final sales policy before the order is shipped as per our return policy.

• The twin of this dress walked the runway for the Fall 1987 show.
• It was made under the creative direction of Yves Saint Laurent.
• We have included reference photos of it from the runway for you so that you can see how fabulous it is on the body. We even found one where you can see the model walking back down the runway so you can see how gorgeous it is from the back as well.
• This is an easy to wear and very chic little YSL dress perfect for parties.
• The top layer of the dress is an unusual blue-purple colour that runs through a lace feeling fabric.
• It has a bit of a metallic feel from it caused by a metallic thread that runs through the lace.
• Over that are thousands of glossy black sequins that follow the pattern. The sequins catch the light from every angle.
• Underneath that top layer is a deep blue silk chiffon that has a touch of transparency to it with the two layered over each other it is opaque enough to wear safely.
• The combination of these two fabrics keep it light and weight so that it feels amazing once on the body.
• The dress sits off the shoulder to leave a bare expanse of skin across the top and it is finished with a pretty black silk organza ruffle. 
• The sleeves fall to just past the elbow and each is also finished with a ruffle.
• From there the dress skims over you, running over the bust and past the waist, with no seaming there to break the line. At the top of the hip there is a seam that has another ruffled detailing.
• The skirt falls under that and widens out as it nears the hem. A final ruffle goes all the way around the edge of the skirt. The back of the skirt is set to hang a touch longer than the front. This gives you a beautiful curve from the side and adds a touch of pretty volume.
• It is a gorgeous dress and really showcases Yves' innovative eye and design genius.
• The dress is fully lined in a dark blue silk chiffon. It closes at the side with a zipper. It appears to have been worn very little if at all.
• Tagged a vintage YSL 42
• Excellent condition

Sleeves: approx 18" from the dropped shoulder and they are 12" around the upper arm.
Bust: to 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: to 15" flat across from side seam to side seam
Seam across the top of the hips: 19.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Total length: 30" from top of centre neckline to front hem and 36" to back hem including the ruffle

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD5643

Reference Photos: Fall 1987 Yves Saint Laurent Runway.

All items are thoroughly checked over before shipping. Unless noted everything in our shop has been professionally cleaned. All sales are final. Overseas clients will be emailed to obtain agreement to our final sales policy before the order is shipped as per our return policy.

• This dress is from the Fall 1979 Haute Couture Yves Saint Laurent collection.
• It was made under the creative direction Yves Saint Laurent.
• The 1979 collection was an a homage to Picasso and Diaghilev. Yves had been to an exhibit on Picasso costume and set designs for Diaghilev's ballet Russes. At the time he told French Vogue that he had been on a different path entirely for the collection but then he saw the exhibition and "my collection took on the structure of a ballet. I embroidered on Picasso, on a slightly soft cubism, on harlequin, the Blue Period, the Pink. It's best when in inspiration comes! You no longer have any doubt, you get on with it, you feel an immense joy!"
• You can see that inspiration of the harlequin especially on the pattern of this dress. We found several runway examples where he used the same pattern and added those here. It was a significant part of the collection.
• In the YSL folio that contains all the drawings from the collection, I saw that he had to use this particular print in several colours; a golden brown, a red, a white and black, and this magnificent blue. I have also included a sketch of the dress that is closest to this particular piece. Based on the drawings in my folio, it seems that this is most likely a one off done in collaboration with the client's request.
• The dress would have been made completely by hand in the Paris atelier.
• It is made out of a beautiful fine silk that has a secondary pattern within the weave in the same blue and then it is printed with that black design leaving the blue to show between. The silk is of the highest possible grade.
• You can see the very beginnings of the classic Yves Saint Laurent sack dress to come in the cut and silhouette in this dress. These sack dresses played on volume and cut. As the years went by they got bigger and looser through the middle. This one is still on the edge of being a more loose-waist A-line. 
• The collar is banded in the same silk and the silk is gathered in around it for a little added detail. The shoulders are soft and the upper portion of the sleeve is wider and set in a slight cap on the top of the shoulder. This narrows down to a cuffed wrist that ends in a ruffle made of the same silk.
• The cut through the body is loose and easy and it is almost tubular in feel with just the slightest bit of narrowing as it nears the hem. 
• I love how this makes it easy to wear and that it gives you the option of wearing it loose or adding a belt to cinch it in and add shape around the waist.
• I have shot it both of those ways with an added black rope belt. The belt is not original to the dress but will be included.
• The perfect finishing touch is the little slits on either side of the skirt. These allow for movement when you move and gives you ease of walking plus a little bit of extra leg to show.
• This is a superb piece of Couture and is an early example of his work.
• The dress is unlined and slips over the head to wear with a single button at the back of the neck above a keyhole. Each cuff buttons to close. It is entirely made by hand. The appropriate Haute Couture label is present.
• There is no size tag present because it is true Couture. Please go by the measurements listed below.
• Excellent condition

Sleeves: 23.5" they are 15" around the upper arm. The neck is 13" around. The cuffs are 6" around where the button is presently but could be opened and the button moved to get 7".
Slightly inset shoulders: 14"
Bust: to 19.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: to 18.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Total length: 36.5" from neck to hem. Each side slit is 9" from the hem up

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD5644

Reference Photos: Fall 1979 Yves Saint Laurent Haute Couture.

All items are thoroughly checked over before shipping. Unless noted everything in our shop has been professionally cleaned. All sales are final. Overseas clients will be emailed to obtain agreement to our final sales policy before the order is shipped as per our return policy.

• The twin of this dress walked the runway for the Fall 1998 YSL collection.
• It was made under the creative direction of Yves Saint Laurent
• The dress is gorgeous and the fabric itself is part of what makes it so fabulous.
• The body and sleeves are made out of a inky black velvet that gives the dress some structure. Onto this is a band of heavily applied overlapping glossy black sequins. The effect of the sequins in contrast to the richness of the velvet adds depth and interest.  
• This is a piece that shows his strong tailoring and detailed knowledge of how to cut a piece to best suit a woman's body. 
• The shoulders are lightly padded and the sleeve extend out from there. They are a touch fuller near the upper arm and then narrow slightly to their ends.
• The addition of the sequins is just spectacular. They are set in a band that has four stacked rows of sequins that are more densely applied so that they overlap each other. They begin at the back of the neck, curve around to follow the view of the front and then sit side-by-side all the way down to the hem.
• I love the plunge of the front and how it can be adjusted to sit as high or low as you dare. A zipper runs up the centre front and you can zip it higher or lower. The zipper only goes partway and then there is a high slit from the ham up. You can see how it sits in the runway photos and how great it is once on.
• The waist is brought in through the seams at the sides with no horizontal line to break the eye. 
• It glides over the hips and then widen out as it near the hem. The front slit helps to give it some width around you so it has great movement as you move.
• It is a phenomenal YSL from this time period.
• The dress is fully lined in a black silk and it closes with the zipper at the front. Light padding in each shoulder. I see the slightest wrinkling in the velvet under the arms. Nothing beyond normal wear and mention for accuracy.
• There is no size tag present. Please go by the measurements below.
• Excellent condition

Sleeves: 19" with 1.5" turned under. They are 13" around the upper arm
Shoulders: 15.5-16"
Bust: 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 15" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Total length: 60" from top of shoulder to hem. The slit is 28" up from the hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD5626

Reference Photos: Fall 1998 Yves Saint Laurent.

All items are thoroughly checked over before shipping. Unless noted everything in our shop has been professionally cleaned. All sales are final. Overseas clients will be emailed to obtain agreement to our final sales policy before the order is shipped as per our return policy.

• The twin of the dress walked the Spring 2002 Yves Saint Laurent Haute Couture for Look 240. 
• It was made under the creative direction of Yves Saint Laurent.
• It would've been made completely by hand in the Paris atelier.
• This was Yve's final collection ever so has significant historical importance.
• That final show was over an hour long and was presented to a room of 1500 hand picked guests. To tell the story of his decades long career there was a total of 371 garments shown that day. The presentation began at the beginning of his career and the show was a full retrospective of his work that showed a highlight of all of his creations through the decades.
• There were also a small group of 11 new items for the 2002 season included about 2/3rds of the way into the show created as the Spring 2002 couture collection. All were pieces that were based on dresses from the past but done in new colours. They were all made of weightless silk chiffon and were in a variety of colours.
• The twin of this black dress was included in that grouping and it is based on the green dress we have included a reference photo of for you here from the Spring 1991 collection.
• This blending of past and present further evoked the idea of his journey and how his designs are truly timeless no matter when they were made. 
• The dress has its own special couture tag that commemorates it as being a part of this final show. It is an extremely rare and wonderful piece.
• "I have chosen today to say goodbye to the craft that I have loved so much. The next show to which I invite you, on Tuesday, 22nd January at 6 PM, at the centre of George's Pompano, will predominantly be a retrospective of my work… Some designs from the currencies will also be shown."
• The dress has a strapless bodice that is fitted to hold the dress on the body and then it falls from there to the floor in layers of weightless black silk chiffon.
• The silk of the bodice is gathered and set vertically and inside the bodice there is a full inner built-in corset that is shaped and seamed so the dress stays perfectly in place once on.
• A wide band of silk wraps underneath the breasts to the waist and there is a sash that ties in a soft bow off to one side.
• The ends of the sash trail all the way down the side to the floor and this helps to add to the beautiful movement this dress has once on.
• Below the beautiful shape through the bodice the skirt falls to the floor in a soft cascade of silk chiffon. The side of the skirt that opens is slightly longer than the other and this is a clever way to give that side of the skirt even more movement. These are the tiny details in Couture that make a dress move the exact perfect way.
• The innermost layer of silk chiffon is set all the way around you and then the other layers of the skirt are set over this and slit right up to where the waistband meets the top of the skirt on that side. So when you walk and move you are covered by that single layer of silk chiffon underneath but you are still bare underneath the transparency of the chiffon. You can see this clearly in the video as the model walks. It is very sexy.
• The layers and open side of the skirt combined with the trailing ties from the waist are then what allow the dress to move so beautifully around you when you move.
• It is absolutely perfect in every way. The workmanship is beautiful and the dress appears to have never been worn or worn very little. What a joy to have such an important dress from Yves very last collection.
• The dress is fully lined in a black silk chiffon as described above. Boning and structure through the inner bodice and it closes with a hidden set side zipper. Its proper Haute Couture tag is present.
• There is no size tag present because it is true Couture. Please see the measurements below.
• Excellent condition.

Bust: 15.5-16" flat across from side seam to side seam with an A-B cup
Seam under the bust: 14.25" flat across from side seam to side seam 
Inner waist: 12-13" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Bodice: 4.75" from top of bodice to seam under the bodice
Total length: 51" from top of bodice to shortest part of the hem, 54" to the longest

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XXS-XS

Item# DD5594

Reference Photos/Video: (1-3) Spring 2002 Yves Saint Laurent Couture, Look 240.  /  (4) From the book “Yves Saint Laurent Haute Couture: CATWALK”  /  (5-6) Spring 1991 Yves Saint Laurent Haute Couture.  /  (7-9) Spring 2002 Yves Saint Laurent Haute Couture Sketches.

All items are thoroughly checked over before shipping. Unless noted everything in our shop has been professionally cleaned. All sales are final. Overseas clients will be emailed to obtain agreement to our final sales policy before the order is shipped as per our return policy.

• This top is from the Spring 1974 collection.
• It was made under the creative direction of the original Mr. Valentino
• Valentino launched his ready-to-wear label in 1962 just two years after opening his first salon in Rome. He often brought in the designs that he created for his main couture label into the boutique work. In these early days pieces were remarkably close in quality and the line between the two labels was often blurred. 
  
• I love that this has the classic seashell print from that year. We included reference photos of similar pieces from the collection. It is a very special and rare piece of original Valentino.
• The top is made out of a beautiful green silk that has the fantastic seashell print made up of several varieties of seashells.
• The seashell pattern has been set onto the silk on an angle and it covers the entire top.
• The shoulders and the way the sleeves are cut on this one are wonderful. The shoulder is deliberately dropped and then the sleeves are cut to be extremely full and generous. They almost have the feel of a pirate sleeve. They are full all the way down and then are brought back in at the buttoned cuffs.
• The cut is boxy and generous through the body for an easy fit. The top came with its original little matching silk string belt that you can use to tie around the waist for added shape. You could always use it around the neck.
• The collar is fantastic. It is pointed in that wonderful feel of the 1970s.
• Not only did this one come with its original little belt but it also came with a triangular shaped matching scarf that you can wrap and tie around the neck or around the head as a head scarf like how I styled it here for you to see.
• This is a fantastic piece of Valentino history, and I love that it has one of his most iconic prints from this era.
• The top is unlined and closes at the front with a series of buttons. Each cuff buttons to close. I see one small mark. Please see the photo after the label shot. The top is meant to feel more loose and generous if you choose to wear it without a belt and un-tucked. It should fit a variety of sizes and just feel more oversized on a smaller frame.
• Tagged a vintage Valentino 8
• Excellent condition

Sleeves: 25" and they are up to 21" around the upper arm
Dropped shoulders: approximately 21"
Bust- hem: to 21" flat across from side seam to side seam
Total length: 26" from neck to hem
Head, scarf: 49 from end to end x 21" at the widest point wide

Modern Sizing Equivalent:XS-MED

Item# DD5659

Reference Photos: (1) Spring 1974 Valentino Ad Campaign photographed by Gianpaolo Barbieri.  /  (2) Spring 1974 Valentino phootgraphed by Andre Carrara.

All items are thoroughly checked over before shipping. Unless noted everything in our shop has been professionally cleaned. All sales are final. Overseas clients will be emailed to obtain agreement to our final sales policy before the order is shipped as per our return policy.

• This gorgeous dress is a true couture piece from the Fall 1970 Haute Couture collection.
• It was made under the creative direction of Marc Bohan.
• The book Dior:Catwalk noted that the Vogue proclaimed that "Any woman anywhere on earth would want to own these total feminine clothes"
• In the few photos that survive of pieces from this collection, it is interesting to note that he showed most of these shift dresses under capes, which would be a lovely combination even now.
• This dress would have been made entirely by hand in the Paris atelier. 
• The dress is made out of a jet black silk velvet that is extremely soft to the touch and has beautiful drape.
• I love the nod to classic minimalism that the dress displays.
• Straps in a matching black velvet curve up and over your shoulders and then the front and back have just the most gentle bit of a scoop across. Just enough to take away the harshness a straight line would have.
• It skims over the bust and is cut more generously over the waist so that it falls in a perfect shift or column feel around you. If you wanted to add more shape you could easily add a belt or corded rope tie.
• It flares slightly out over the hips and then the skirt falls from there widening out as it near the hem.
• The dress closes down one side with glossy black buttons and I love the deliberate contrast in texture that it has against the black velvet. That pop of shine of the high gloss of the buttons is the perfect subtle detail against the inky texture of the velvet.
• The buttons close the dress down one side to just past the hip and then the rest of that seam is completely open all the way to the hem. When you walk, move, or sit, you get a flash of bare leg all the way up that one side. It is almost startling to have that flash of bare skin against the column of black and I love this play between elegance and sexiness.
• It is a dress that appears to be so simple in shape but every seam and line of the dress was purposefully and masterfully executed and planned.
• This is an extraordinary example of his work during this time period and it is an absolutely stunning dress.
• The dress is fully lined in a matching hand set black silk and closes at the side with the row of buttons. All of the work is done by hand to Couture standards and it has its appropriately dated couture tag present. It appears to have been worn very little at all.
• There is no size tag present because it is Couture so please go by the measurements listed below.
• Excellent condition

Bust: to 16.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: to 15" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 18.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Total length: 57" from top of shoulder to hem and the slit is 29" from the hem up to the last button.

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD5655

All items are thoroughly checked over before shipping. Unless noted everything in our shop has been professionally cleaned. All sales are final. Overseas clients will be emailed to obtain agreement to our final sales policy before the order is shipped as per our return policy.

• The twin of this dress walked the Fall 1978 runway.
• It was made under the creative direction of George Stavropoulos.
• Stavropoulos was known for his evening wear and his signature looks often involved draping and the use of silk done on a bias cut. He focused on cut and fabric to convey the beauty of each piece. It was said that his gowns 'seemed to float on air'.
• He launched his label in 1960 and soon was dressing women like Elizabeth Taylor, Jackie Kennedy, Barbra Streisand and Maria Callas. His gowns are were made by hand and to couture standards in his salon. 
• I love that we have runway documentation as documentation on his work can be rare.
• The dress is made out of a feather light black silk that has tiny little red lines running over the silk that highlight the cut and line of the dress. 
• The neckline is cut straight across at the front and the back of the dress.
• Tiny straps in a matching black silk curve up and over each shoulder. 
• The seam work is set on angles and it is cut so that the waist is brought in and then it curves back out and over the hips.
• From there the skirt falls in this extravagant sweep of bias cut silk to the floor. I love how much it. widens out by the hem. This allows it to move beautifully around you as you move.
• Underneath the top layer of silk is an unexpected red lining. When you sit or move you get these little flashes of that great red that is fantastic. 
• The same red is used in the stripes that run over the entire dress. These bands of colour are stacked on top of each other and are set on angles running down and around the entire dress to add visual interest and shape.
• There is a slight elastic around the top neckline and this would let you wear this as a strapless piece and just tuck the little straps in if you wanted.
• The dress is fully lined in a red silk and it closes with a side set zipper. It appears to have been worn very little at all.
• Excellent condition

Bust: 16-16.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: to 15" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: open
Bodice: 15" from the top of the shoulder to the waist
Total length: 60" from top of shoulder to hem, with the inner lining intentionally extending slightly past the hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD5648

Reference Photo: Fall 1978 Stavropoulos Runway.

All items are thoroughly checked over before shipping. Unless noted everything in our shop has been professionally cleaned. All sales are final. Overseas clients will be emailed to obtain agreement to our final sales policy before the order is shipped as per our return policy.

• The set is from the 1976 Christian Dior collection.
• It was made under the creative direction of Marc Bohan.
• This is a shorter skirt version in purple and turquoise of the set that was photoed for L'Officiel in 1976. We had a red version many, many years ago and I am very pleased to have found this one.
• Both pieces are made out of a crepe silk chiffon that is light in weight and moves quite beautifully.
• I love that because it is two pieces you can wear it together to get the full look or you can mix and match it with pieces you already own.
• The top can play double duty as it can be worn as a proper top or you could layer it over other pieces as more of a light jacket.
• The top can be tucked in and left loose and easy, or worn belted, whether tucked in or loose, giving you even more versatility.
• The shoulders are soft and they extend out into sleeves that are cut wide and full for a bit of a kimono feel.
• The neck has no collar and there is a silk covered button at the top of the neck. If you choose to close this, it creates a slit keyhole that runs to the first of seven buttons that sit midway on the top. There are no buttons below that so if you wear it un-tucked it is open at the bottom and very pretty.
• Running around the collar and down both sides of the front is an edging of a pretty gold piping that adds a beautiful finishing touch.
• The skirt has a band around the waist and is cut slimmer around the hips with pin tuck seams for a little detail and shape.
• At the bottom of the hip the skirt opens on each side with a series of soft pleats that give you extra volume on the sides. As you move, this gives you beautiful movement around you. I also love the subtle reference of picking up on the volume of the sleeves
• It is absolutely beautiful and a wonderfully documented set.
• The top is unlined and the skirt is fully lined in a purple bias cut silk. The top buttons to close at the front and the skirt closes with a zipper and hook an eye at the waist.
• There is no size tag present. Please go by the measurements below
• Excellent condition

Jacket
Sleeves: to 19" at their longest points and they are 18" around the upper arm
Slightly dropped shoulders: 17"
Bust: to 20" flat across from side seam to side seam and narrows to 19.5" by the hem
Length: 23" from neck to hem

Skirt
Waist: 15.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 18.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 30.5" from waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD5642

Reference Photo: Roland Bianchini for L’Officiel de la Couture N. 625, 1976.

This garment has been professionally cleaned, pressed and is odor free. Thoroughly checked over before shipping, it will be ready to wear upon arrival.

• This dress is from the Fall 1979 Haute Couture Yves Saint Laurent collection.
• It was made under the creative direction Yves Saint Laurent.
• The 1979 collection was an a homage to Picasso and Diaghilev. Yves had been to an exhibit on Picasso costume and set designs for Diaghilev's ballet Russes. At the time he told French Vogue that he had been on a different path entirely for the collection but then he saw the exhibition and "my collection took on the structure of a ballet. I embroidered on Picasso, on a slightly soft cubism, on harlequin, the Blue Period, the Pink. It's best when in inspiration comes! You no longer have any doubt, you get on with it, you feel an immense joy!"
• You can see that inspiration of the harlequin especially on the pattern of this dress. We found several runway examples where he used the same pattern and added those here. It was a significant part of the collection.
• In the YSL folio that contains all the drawings from the collection, I saw that he had to use this particular print in several colours; a golden brown, a red, a white and black, and this magnificent blue. I have also included a sketch of the dress that is closest to this particular piece. Based on the drawings in my folio, it seems that this is most likely a one off done in collaboration with the client's request.
• The dress would have been made completely by hand in the Paris atelier.
• It is made out of a beautiful fine silk that has a secondary pattern within the weave in the same blue and then it is printed with that black design leaving the blue to show between. The silk is of the highest possible grade.
• You can see the very beginnings of the classic Yves Saint Laurent sack dress to come in the cut and silhouette in this dress. These sack dresses played on volume and cut. As the years went by they got bigger and looser through the middle. This one is still on the edge of being a more loose-waist A-line. 
• The collar is banded in the same silk and the silk is gathered in around it for a little added detail. The shoulders are soft and the upper portion of the sleeve is wider and set in a slight cap on the top of the shoulder. This narrows down to a cuffed wrist that ends in a ruffle made of the same silk.
• The cut through the body is loose and easy and it is almost tubular in feel with just the slightest bit of narrowing as it nears the hem. 
• I love how this makes it easy to wear and that it gives you the option of wearing it loose or adding a belt to cinch it in and add shape around the waist.
• I have shot it both of those ways with an added black rope belt. The belt is not original to the dress but will be included.
• The perfect finishing touch is the little slits on either side of the skirt. These allow for movement when you move and gives you ease of walking plus a little bit of extra leg to show.
• This is a superb piece of Couture and is an early example of his work.
• The dress is unlined and slips over the head to wear with a single button at the back of the neck above a keyhole. Each cuff buttons to close. It is entirely made by hand. The appropriate Haute Couture label is present.
• There is no size tag present because it is true Couture. Please go by the measurements listed below.
• Excellent condition

Sleeves: 23.5" they are 15" around the upper arm. The neck is 13" around. The cuffs are 6" around where the button is presently but could be opened and the button moved to get 7".
Slightly inset shoulders: 14"
Bust: to 19.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: to 18.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Total length: 36.5" from neck to hem. Each side slit is 9" from the hem up

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD5644

Reference Photos: Fall 1979 Yves Saint Laurent Haute Couture.

All items are thoroughly checked over before shipping. Unless noted everything in our shop has been professionally cleaned. All sales are final. Overseas clients will be emailed to obtain agreement to our final sales policy before the order is shipped as per our return policy.