Rive Gauche

From the outset, he strove to free and emancipate women through fashion that was, to say the least, revolutionary. He liked to provoke the bourgeoisie and shocked many times, notably when he posed nude for the advertisement of one of his perfumes. In 1971, the provocative designer presented Rive Gauche, a fragrance that came to complete the collection of the same name.

Rive Gauche YSL, a lifestyle, a new freedom for women

The Rive Gauche ready-to-wear collection was born in 1966. It is a collection that shocked once again, since it revealed a sexy and relaxed woman. The early 1970s marked the emancipation of women, bringing them a new freedom, unexpected but so long hoped for. Women appeared more dynamic, and finally dared to free themselves from convention. If Yves Saint Laurent chose to name his perfume Rive Gauche, it was first of all so that it would convey the same values as his collection. Rive Gauche is a fragrance that reveals the chic Parisian woman, at the dawn of her new lifestyle. Rive Gauche also refers to the southern part of the capital, known for being frequented by artists, intellectuals, musicians, and students. Rive Gauche would therefore be an ultra-urban scent, inspired by the actress Catherine Deneuve, a worthy representative of Parisian chic. More than a scent, Rive Gauche is a lifestyle, a new philosophy, a freedom to be savored…

The resolutely feminine notes of Rive Gauche

It was the perfumer Michel Hy who created this perfume of freedom. Rive Gauche contains synthetic molecules called aldehydes. These were revolutionary for the time and bring a metallic scent close to citrus, but one that cannot be found in nature. Having fallen slightly out of fashion, the synthetic aldehyde molecules nevertheless give Rive Gauche a somewhat dated character. Its composition opens on ultra-fresh and invigorating notes of Bergamot and Lemon combined with an aldehydic accord. Ultra feminine, the heart features the union of Jasmine and Rose. These notes are joined by Honeysuckle and Gardenia. The base of Rive Gauche is woody and chypre, composed of Vetiver, Musks, Myrrh, and Oakmoss. As for the bottle, it expresses both femininity and modernity. Slender, it takes the form of a highly metallic and above all particularly avant-garde glass column. Against an electric blue background, the column displays black and silver lines. These colors were, at the time, rather reserved for men, and the designer deliberately used them to once again underscore women's independence.

Rive Gauche is Yves Saint Laurent's first perfume. While it reveals the chic of Paris's southern side, Rive Gauche is more than a perfume. Indeed, this first fragrance stands as a true lifestyle, calling out to women to enjoy their freedom…