1980s Yves Saint Laurent Black Crepe and Sequin Waist Dress Documented

From the Eighties, this crepe de chine cocktail dress by Yves Saint Laurent shows how power shoulders and sequins can look downright stunning in the capable hands of a masterful designer. The padded supports form a gorgeous line at the top of the dress from which falls beautiful tulip sleeves and a gently gathered bodice. A deep V at the front leads to a smocked waistline that sculpts the figure from the bust to the hips. Hundreds of little black sequins adorn it to brilliantly catch the light and lend the piece resplendent shimmer and shine.

Photographed by Helmut Newton for the September 1983 issue of Vogue, it is ultra-chic, seductive and a perfect example as to why Colin McDowell wrote of Saint Laurent in Business of Fashion, “When he retired in 2002, he could look back over his years as a designer and, with perfect justification, claim not only that every major change in women’s dress had originated with him, but also that many current female attitudes were, in part, the result of his uncompromisingly bold fashion approaches, not least to self and sexuality.”

Size estimate: XS/S

Measurements:

Tagged vintage size: 40

Bust: 34 inches

Waist: 23-26 inches

Hips: 34-36 inches

Shoulders: 15.5 inches

Bodice length: 11.5 inches

Smocked waist length: 13 inches

Skirt length: 18 inches

This vintage Yves Saint Laurent cocktail dress from the Eighties is in excellent condition. It is tailored from black crepe de chine. The inside of the dress feels silky against the skin. The silhouette features padded shoulders, tulip sleeves, a gently gathered bodice, deep V at the front, smocked waistline and soft skirt that falls to the knees.

The waistline, which spans from the bust to the hips, is adorned with hundreds of little black sequins. The dress has been professionally dry-cleaned and pressed. High-quality vintage pieces like this are yours to live in and love while increasing in value every year. It’s never too soon to start collecting them, as an investment in your wardrobe—and in yourself.