Iconic Spring 1998 Yves Saint Laurent Runway Wrap Tuxedo Dress w High Wrap Over Slit

The twin of this dress walked the runway for the Spring 1998 YSL collection. It was made under the creative direction of Yves Saint Laurent. The re-defining of a men's tuxedo into a piece suited for women is one of the Saint Laurent most enduring symbols. I love that this dress is a play on that. The dress is gorgeous and the black silk fabric itself is part of what makes it so fabulous giving it the perfect amount of drape with some structure. In contrast to that silk backdrop is a black silk collar with a matte satin finish that sits against the inky black of the dress underneath. The collar is of course what gives the dress it's fantastic nod to the tuxedo and it becomes a central focus point of the dress. 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 dress crosses over itself and hooks at the side with a large glossy decorative button. This creates the perfect slightly curved plunge at the front. The sides near the arms angle up and in towards the collar. This allows the notching of the collar to sit against bare skin. A small detail that is quite genius. The waist is nipped in by the wrapped cut of the dress with no horizontal line to break the eye. It glides over the hips and then widens out a touch as it nears the hem. The way that it wraps to close at the one side creates that fantastic flash of bare leg when you move and the front opens with your movement. You can see how fantastic and sensual this feels from the runway photos. It is a phenomenal YSL from this time period. The dress is fully lined in a black silk and it wraps to close and then hooks at the side of the waist under a decorative button. There is an inner attached silk band that hooks into place to help hold it around you. It appears to have been worn very little if at all. Tagged a vintage YSL 36 Excellent condition Bust: to 17" flat across from side seam to side seam Waist: to 13" flat across from side seam to side seam Hips: to 20" flat across from side seam to side seam Bodice: 15.5" from neck to inner waist band Total length: 58" from neck to hem Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-MED Item# DD5757 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.