If you are a Hedi Slimane fan then you know that the Spring 2013 collection was his debut collection for Saint Laurent. Vogue said that he "hot-wired himself into the YSL legacy with Le Smoking, the mousselines, the pussy bows, the shot of animal spot, and that thing called Saharienne (which will always be Veruschka in Vogue. The tassels said Morocco—they also said Opium, à la Yves." It was a bevy of rock-chic couture and everything shown was about length of the body and a nod to the seventies. The twin of this dress was in the opening moments of the show for Look 4 and it was the first glimpse of his version of the YSL safari look. He took what is a house signature and elongated it in suede to fit his vision. It was one of his strongest pieces of the show.

I actually love this dress. I think it was a brilliant way to re-do an iconic look from YSL and make it his own. It also fully fits in with his love for long, lean length when it comes to his design aesthetic. The dress is made out of a soft supple suede in a classic deep neutral colour. It falls all the way to the floor and appears to be in its original uncut length. The collar is sharp and pointed and I love the straps on the top of each shoulder. He lightly padded the shoulders for a bit of added structure and the sleeves are long. Each sleeve ends in a corded lace up and I think this added detail works perfectly on this dress. You can see in the close-up shots from the runway that he wrapped these laces around the lower arm. At the front we see that same lace up cording run down to just past the waist. This is what makes the safari look so fantastic and add a touch of sexiness because you can see a bit of bare skin through the laces. On the front are four top set flap pockets that are another nod to this same detail on Yves' original design. It skims over the bust, waist and hips and then flares out quite a bit by the time it reaches the bottom hem. It comes with a matching suede belt for added shape and all of these elements add up to something that is both classic and fresh. It is one of my favourite dresses that he created from his time at YSL and this is a collectible future vintage piece. Excellent condition.

Unlined and closes with a side set zipper and then you can adjust the lower portion of the sleeves and the front with the laces that you see. The pockets snap to close and they are all functional. The belt is a simple suede wrap and tie belt. The suede has natural variations

Sleeves: 23.5" and 11" around the upper arm
Shoulders: 15"
Bust: 17" flat across from side seam to side seam and can be opened a bit more with the laces at the front
Waist: 15" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: 16" from neck to waist
Total length: 60" from waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED

Item# DD4734

Reference Photos/Video: Spring 2013 Yves Saint Laurent, Look 4. Model Edie Campbell.

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.