The brilliant fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent, the new entrepreneur of his own brand, imagines a red and green dress for one of his next collections.
Fashion design created by designer Yves Saint Laurent.
A leaf.
Notes in French.
12.3 cm x 31.8 cm.
Probably in Paris, in the 1960s or 1970s.
Excellent condition of conservation.
Unique piece.
Four fabric and lace swatches, plus notes accompany the drawing on the front
croquis K - 106 - proposition I - Rouge - 104 - col 16 lione 47 - proposition 2 - vert - col 16 - liasse 47
On the back it says
Satin taffetas or (?) - dentelle (?) whipped cream
A talented designer, Yves Saint Laurent (1936 - 2008) took over the management of Dior in 1957 at the age of 21, just two years after joining the House of Dior as an assistant designer. In 1958, his "trapeze" collection reinvented the dress and was a huge success.
Saint Laurent then decided to leave Dior in 1961 and founded his own haute couture house. His collections, first for women and then for men from 1969 onwards, were an immediate success. His greatest innovations included the timeless women's tuxedo, the trench coat and the pantsuit.
The couturier later diversified his activities, creating sets and costumes for theater and cinema, and luxury perfumes and cosmetics, which were sold worldwide. After his company was acquired by the Gucci Group in 1999, the designer retired in 2002.
In addition to the designer's characteristic features, this drawing of a dress includes notes - most of them in YSL's own hand - and fabric samples that are very interesting for understanding the creation process of haute couture. This example, which is part of a set of four drawings, was acquired at an auction in Paris and belonged to a seamstress who worked with the designer in the 1960s and 1970s. Almost all of Yves Saint Laurent's drawings are preserved by the Fondation Pierre Bergé - Yves Saint Laurent.
