Top: Bergamot, Aldehydes, Ylang-Ylang and Freesia Rive Gauche is a bold fragrance with shoulder pads, but unlike other heavy hitters of the decade, this one offsets its distinct character with the soft and elegant tailoring that Yves Saint Laurent was renowned for. It’s a fragrance that takes no prisoners and speaks of confidence, as well as a serious passion for haute couture.
Housed within a striking blue tin can adorned with black and silver stripes, this fragrance burst on to the scene as a wearable form of attitude rather than a personal fragrance. Rive Gauche was launched by Saint Laurent in 1971 and was penned by perfumers Michael Hy (Calandre by Paco Rabanne) and Jacques Polge (currently in-house ‘nose’ for Chanel). Rive Gauche is perhaps one of the most notable of these fragrances, and out of all four, it is the most indicative of Yves Saint Laurent’s spirit (the man and the brand’s) – capturing perfectly the idea of Parisian life on the fashionable left bank of the Seine. In a period of 12 years the brand launched Opium, Paris, Kouros and Rive Gauche – four of the most noteworthy olfactory creations the perfume industry has to offer. YSL is a brand with its fair share of iconic fragrances. With over 1,000 new fragrance launches each year, one can easily get bogged down in the onslaught, focusing only on the next big thing and the intriguing blends that join the already crowded department store shelves, so it’s refreshing, and often enlightening to go back and sniff the classics. As you may have gathered from my review of Yves Saint Laurent’s inimitable Opium a few weeks ago, I do like to take a look back at some of perfumery’s biggest icons.
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