Animal print, particularly leopard print, was a recurring motif used throughout Saint Laurent's couture and ready-to- wear collections of the 1980s. Here, a more literal iteration of the 1980s trend for leopard print is presented; this version includes the leopard's face, torso and paws, positioned purposefully around the body. The dress was presented as part of the Autumn-Winter 1986 Rive Gauche ready-to-wear collection, which featured many garments using the same print.

Yves Saint Laurent began his career at the house of Dior. After fighting in the Algerian War, Saint Laurent opened his own fashion house in 1962 with his business partner Pierre Bergé. This dress comes from his Rive Gauche ready-to-wear line which was launched in 1966 and sold in his own franchised chain of boutiques. The first Rive Gauche shop opened on the left bank of the River Seine in Paris in 1966, to great success. Offering ready-to-wear at more affordable prices than Saint Laurent's couture designs, slightly lower quality fabrics were used to ensure that the garments remained within the Rive Gauche price range.

Promoting a more democratised approach to fashion, the Rive Gauche line sought to overhaul the outmoded 'total' looks of couture, bringing high fashion to a wider audience through mix-and-match pieces that encouraged experimentation and personalisation. Rive Gauche separates, such as trousers, blouses and skirts, could be combined with other garments that were less (or more) expensive, allowing women to create a wardrobe of 'essentials' that suited their individual tastes and budgets. Legitimising ready-to-wear as a credible arena for high fashion - without a couture price-tag - Saint Laurent set a precedent which many fashion houses of his era followed.