This is the second time I have had this dress and this one has the added provenance of having just been worn by Sunrise Ruffalo to the National Board of Review Awards with her husband Mark. The twin of this dress was the closing look of the Pre-fall 2010 presentation by Stefano Pilati. When Vogue reviewed the collection Sarah Mower said; 'There are two ways of looking at pre-fall in terms of what it means in the great relay race of fashion. A designer can follow through on designs from the season before, but also perhaps start trying out ideas that will determine the look of the next show. In YSL's extensive new collection, Stefano Pilati had plenty of scope for both.' She also mentioned the draped dresses in particular saying; 'Anyone with a hankering for rushing ahead will, however, want to study Pilati's ankle-length A-line skirt, wide-leg pants, and draped wrap satin dress. Whether the Saint Laurent seventies that these pieces referenced is a fleeting transitional moment or something Pilati will commit to for Fall, they were the most interesting pieces in the collection.'

This was the strongest dress of the collection and in addition to met own added provenance on it as described above,  its twin was worn by Halle Berry that year and also in a blue version by Jennifer Garner. Several years later one was also worn by Martha Hunt. I love having all of these reference photos for you because you can see just how beautiful this dress is on the body. The silk is biased cut and it is suspended from one shoulder. Starting at the top of the shoulder a twisted rope extends down one side of the back leaving the rest of the back bare. This strap ties in a knot at the low back on the side. Long panels of fabric drape down from the knot to cascade down one side. The front of the dress wraps around you and it is seamed and secured underneath the base of the edge of the back waist. This wrapping effect leaves a high slit up the back of the leg that you can see in the runway presentation photo. The shape at the front is created through a combination of the bias cut and the way the fabric has been gathered up and underneath the base of that knotting detail. The boas cit lets it skim over and fall down the body highlighting your curves but without being tight. The biased cut also gives this incredible movement as you move and is an extremely sensual and sexy feeling dress once on. That deep red colour is amazing. I love the panels that drape down on the one side. They add incredible movement floating out behind you as you move. I think this was one of the strongest dresses of his time at this label and it is a stunning dress. It appears to have been worn very little if at all. Excellent condition

Unlined and completely cut on the bias. It slips on to wear. The bias cut of the fabric allow it some stretch and movement. Tagged a YSL 36 but the bias cut makes it more flexible in sizing. It should accommodate a range of sizes. This was incredibly difficult to measure so I have given the comfortable range of the fabric laying flat. It may have additional give beyond that. The length may come up once on due to the bias cut

Bust: 15-18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 12 or smaller-18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: to 25" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: to 62" from shoulder to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS-MED

Reference Photos: (1) Pre Fall 2010 Yves Saint Laurent Collection, Look 41. Model: Yulia Kharlapanova.  /  (2-3) Sunrise Ruffalo in this dress for the National Board of Review Awards, 2024.  /  (4-5) Halle Berry in Yves Saint Laurent at the 32nd Annual Carousel of Hope Ball, October 2010.  /  (6-8) Martha Hunt in Yves Saint Laurent at The Double Lover Premiere, Cannes, May 26, 2017.  /  (9) Jennifer Garner in Yves Saint Laurent at the BAFTA Brits to Watch in July 2011.