Yves Saint Laurent Wool Houndstooth Blazer Brown 1980s Size 50

A woman in Garden City, Tuesday lunch at Maison Thomas. Cream silk shirt unbuttoned at the collar, dark jeans, brown leather loafers, the houndstooth jacket thrown over her shoulders without going into the sleeves. She orders the club sandwich and a double espresso. The jacket weighs more than it looks. That is the tell.

Saint Laurent launched Le Smoking in 1966 as the first tuxedo cut for women, and the Rive Gauche ready-to-wear line that followed through the 1970s and 1980s produced the same construction standards in civilian cloth. Houndstooth wool became a Saint Laurent signature across that period, used on blazers the house positioned as daily wear for the generation of women entering Parisian professional life. Pre-loved Saint Laurent buyers who source specifically from the pre-1999 production window do so because that is where the construction sits. The Gucci Group acquired YSL in 1999 and the tailoring moved progressively offshore through the 2000s. Sourced through Sold Attire's Japan auction channel.

How do I identify a pre-1999 French-production Saint Laurent blazer?

Check three things. The label should read Yves Saint Laurent on a woven white-and-black tag, with a Paris origin line beneath. A separate composition tag sewn into the side seam names the wool content. The buttons on French-production pieces are horn or resin set with four-hole stitching, not plastic. Post-1999 Gucci-Group-era pieces use a slightly different label typography and a neck-of-garment composition tag.

Is an Italian size 50 the same as a US 10 for a woman's blazer?

In 1980s Yves Saint Laurent tailoring, IT 50 corresponds closely to UK 40 or US 40 in the masculine cut convention the house used on this silhouette. The blazer is cut generously through the chest and shoulder deliberately, intended to be worn open or with a thin cashmere layer underneath. A woman who normally wears a US 10 or 12 fits this piece cleanly.

Does the ink mark on the interior lining affect value?

No. Interior lining marks that do not bleed through to the wool exterior are considered cosmetic on vintage tailoring and do not move the resale price. The ink spot on this blazer is contained entirely on the lining side and is not visible in any carry position. It is a standard feature of 40-year-old garments, not a condition fault.

Dry clean only, natural solvent preferred. Brush with a soft horsehair brush after each wear to lift dust from the houndstooth weave. Store on a wide wooden hanger in a breathable cotton garment bag with a cedar block. Never in plastic. Never folded on a shelf. The lapel roll on a 40-year-old blazer is the first thing that goes if the garment is stored crushed.

Every blazer passes through Sold Attire's 10-step authentication: woven white-and-black label typography, Paris origin line presence, side-seam composition tag, button material and stitch pattern, lapel roll integrity, shoulder construction, pocket-flap finishing, sleeve buttonhole stitch density, interior lining seam tension, and provenance documentation. We back every authenticated piece with our Lifetime Authenticity Guarantee. If any item is ever proven inauthentic, we issue a full refund without time limit and cover return shipping.