Exceptional Spring 2002/Spring 1991 Yves Saint Laurent Haute Couture Black Silk Chiffon Dress

• 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.

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