Yves Saint Laurent YSL Haute Couture Red / Green Stripe Silk Chiffon Dress, 1991

Yves Saint Laurent understood fashion for the everyday woman, and he also was a master of couture who reinvented the look and feel of the traditional couture image. YSL’s 1991 Spring/Summer collection paid homage to his garçonne Le Smoking bridging it with his propensity for ethnic motifs and design. The experimentation of volume through structure and drape create an interesting storyline in this collection.

Finished with couture sewing and delicately light, this YSL dress is made from fine striped silk chiffon in red at the bodice and green for the skirt. The lightweight chiffon drapes elegantly across the body as it forms the V-neckline of the bodice surplice. The draping is complimented by the billowing bishop sleeves and the lightly fluted skirt hem.

At the waist is a sash that ends with a feminine bow that is attached by a hidden hook. The bow, as seen on Yasmeen Ghauri in the ’91 couture show, naturally falls but can be tacked to give a more defined shape (as done in the images to the left).

Size estimate:

Small Shoulders: 14 inches

Sleeves: 27 inches

Bust: up to 37 inches

Waist: 26 inches

Hips: 37 inches

Bodice: 15.5 inches from top of shoulder to waist

Length: 46 inches

Evidence of couture attention to detail is throughout this dress. Closing at the front with hand-sewn snaps and hooks, the bodice of the dress is carefully lined in a red silk chiffon, while the skirt in lined in a green chiffon.

This haute couture YSL dress is labeled and numbered 67400 and looks unworn. 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.