"It was woman as dandy." declared Tom Ford. That was his comment to Vogue's Sarah Mower. Her review talked about 'the sinuous twenties and thirties feel he (Ford) melded into satins and chiffons for YSL's Spring collection....Together with the major frizzed hairdos and sexy high-heeled spectator shoes in leather and canvas, it added up to a new silhouette for the tall, sexually-in-control woman Ford envisions as the spirit of modern YSL.' This dress was not one that walked the runway but was a sell out when it was released. This was helped in part by the appearance of Renee Zellweger who wore its twin on the cover of Elle Magazine that season. It has a gorgeous decadent feel and sense of sensuality once on the body.

The dress is made from a feather light silk chiffon that has the iconic YSL lip print scattered over it surface. This was a print originally conceived of by Yves and Tom Ford went back into the archives and resurrected it for part of this collection. I have photoed the dress with the V placed at both the front and the back for these shots. On the Elle cover photo Renee is wearing the opening at the front I believe and it looks like she is just holding it closed. I’ve seen the twin of this dress photoed on mannequins elsewhere in the past with the front tacked into place to be able to wear it. And you could definitely do that. That said it would only make sense to tack it into place while it’s on you so that you find that perfect spot that works on you. I do think it was originally meant for the back to be open and bare like how I have photoed it for most of the shots here and it is very pretty worn that way. A ruffle starts at the shoulders and goes around the edges of the dip at the back. The skirt wraps around you and the sleeves go to just passed the elbow. The ruffle at the end of each sleeve is attached with stitches that are set apart from each other to leave a gap between. To wear the dress you just slip your arms into it and then the dress wraps and ties into place, one tie at the inner waist and one on the other side on the exterior. This lets you adjust how loosely it sits on the body. Tom meant for it to feel like the dress will just fall off you at any moment. He was known for this overt sexuality in his pieces. You could easily layer this over something else underneath to make it feel less risque and then it makes wearing it either way around even more a possibility. It appears to have been worn very little if at all. Excellent condition

The bodice of the dress is two layers of the silk chiffon and the sleeves are unlined. The skirt is lined in an ivory silk chiffon. It ties into please at the waist so you can adjust how it sits. Brand tag is missing but the labeled contents tag is present. YSL logo imprinted as part of the pattern on the silk. Tagged a F36. The easy wrap style should allow it to work on a range of sizing.

Sleeves: 22"
Shoulders: no true defined seams
Bust: 16-18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: approx 15-16" flat across from side seam to side seam and you can adjust up or down by a few inches either way
Hips: approx 20" flat across from side seam to side seam
Bodice: 15" from top of shoulder to waist
Skirt: 22" from waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-MED

Item# DD4245

Reference Photo: Renee Zellweger in Yves Saint Laurent for Elle Magazine, November 2004.

This garment has been professionally cleaned, pressed and is odor free. Thoroughly checked over before shipping, it will be ready to wear upon arrival.