Dating an Yves Saint Laurent Variation Womens Suit

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Aoibheann McMahon Tynan

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Hi All,

I have just got my hands on this beautiful blue YSL suit. I would love some help with dating it if anyone has any ideas - The trousers to me feels very 80s but the jacket less so, so I am not sure!
 

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I have found this from ss 1994 which looks like the same material in the same colour but does any one know was the Variation line still running then?
 

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GemGem said:
Yes the 1994 catwalk! I think I see both the trousers & the jacket
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Great find, well spotted! Yes the jacket at around 3.15 looks very similar in style, just without the pockets and I think the trousers may be a bit more flared. As far as I'm aware, the catwalk would be for the couture collection so it would make sense that the cheaper 'Variation' diffusion label would have some differences.
 
Aoibheann McMahon Tynan said:
I have found this from ss 1994 which looks like the same material in the same colour but does any one know was the Variation line still running then?
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From an April 2000 article about the YSL Variation line: "According to sources, about half of the layoffs are related to plans to end production of the Variations diffusion line." and from a Dec 2000 article: "...the now defunct Variations line."
 
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lkranieri said:
From an April 2000 article about the YSL variation line: "According to sources, about half of the layoffs are related to plans to end production of the Variations diffusion line." and from a Dec 2000 article: "...the now defunct Variations line."
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That's really helpful to know. I found various articles indicating the line was launched in the early 80s (although the dates I found varied from 1982 to I think about 84, so I'm unsure exactly as they contradicted each other) - but I did wonder if/when it had been phased out.
 
Shusteroo Vintage said:
I found various articles indicating the line was launched in the early 80s (although the dates I found varied from 1982 to I think about 84, so I'm unsure exactly as they contradicted each other)
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A January 1984 article about the new Variations line stated: "NEW YORK - While Yves Saint Laurent is all set to conquer Paris with his (new)...couture collection this week, fashion's four-star general has been busy devising another sort of sartorial invasion on American shores.
It takes the form of a sportswear-oriented collection called Variations, a line that will wholesale for 35 percent less than his Rive Gauche ready-to-wear and is YSL's own characteristically stylish answer to the lower-priced Fast Fashion (or, in French, la Mode Vite) revolution that has been happening here in designer clothing. Didier Grumbach, who's in charge of YSL's American operations, sees the Variations collection--which has been available in Europe for about a year--as a means of bolstering and supporting the existing YSL business. Accordingly, the line will be distributed exclusively through the Rive Gauche outlets, and will be shown in New York starting Feb. 1..."
 
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lkranieri said:
A January 1984 article about the new Variations line stated: "NEW YORK - While Yves Saint Laurent is all set to conquer Paris with his (new)...couture collection this week, fashion's four-star general has been busy devising another sort of sartorial invasion on American shores.
It takes the form of a sportswear-oriented collection called Variations, a line that will wholesale for 35 percent less than his Rive Gauche ready-to-wear and is YSL's own characteristically stylish answer to the lower-priced Fast Fashion (or, in French, la Mode Vite) revolution that has been happening here in designer clothing. Didier Grumbach, who's in charge of YSL's American operations, sees the Variations collection-- which has been available in Europe for about a year --as a means of bolstering and supporting the exiting YSL business. Accordingly, the line will be distributed exclusively through the Rive Gauche outlets, and will be shown in New York starting Feb. 1..."
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I think the other date I saw was Dec '82... As this article mentions the Variation line had already been available in Europe "for about a year", that explains the difference in dates - some of the articles I read must have been European, others from the US.
Thanks Lynne :)
 
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Shusteroo Vintage said:
I think the other date I saw was Dec '82... As this article mentions the Variation line had already been available in Europe "for about a year", that explains the difference in dates - some of the articles I read must have been Europe based, others in US.
Thanks Lynne :)
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I hope it answers your question to your satisfaction. Just a note that I had a typo near the end of my transcription; it should have been "...as a means of bolstering and supporting the EXISTING YSL business" not the exiting YSL business.
 
Thank you all very much!! I did not realise there was runway footage from 1994, amazing!!

This is so interesting about the Variations line as I have also been researching and struggling to find real information on it. It ran much later than I expected, so from about 1982 through to 2000 - Super interesting and helpful thank you all! X
 
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