The Fashion Revolution: Yves Saint Laurent's Rive Gauche Legacy
Fashion isn't just about trends; it's about revolutionizing the industry. And that's exactly what Yves Saint Laurent did 40 years ago with his Rive Gauche label. At 29, he was already making waves in the couture world with his youthful silhouettes, and he was determined to disrupt the high-end fashion scene once again.
In 1966, Saint Laurent was poised to debut his first Rive Gauche ready-to-wear boutique on Paris' Left Bank, and the fashion world was ready for a change. The ready-to-wear market was coming of age in Europe and America, and the luxury boutique culture was about to take off.
The exclusive Women's Wear Daily (WWD) got a sneak peek at the boutique, describing it as a modern, forward-thinking space with a rotating collection of 30 pieces. The clothes were sold under the Saint Laurent Rive Gauche label and offered young women a complete look from head to toe. From fabric selection to final silhouette and color, the affordable concept was a game-changer, with rumors of dresses costing as little as $10.
The concept was anything but conventional, but it perfectly suited the target consumer and encapsulated the spirit of the decade. Everything at Rive Gauche, Saint Laurent told WWD, was exclusive and could be launched all year round, a statement that's astonishingly familiar to today's fast-paced fashion world.
Two years later, the concept of Saint Laurent Rive Gauche was a huge success. In 1969, WWD went directly to Saint Laurent for an article, "YSL: The 60s... & Beyond," where he stated his reason for developing Rive Gauche ready-to-wear: "The haute couture had to move, nothing had happened for a long time."
To give its readers insight, the daily asked Saint Laurent to select 10 of his favorite silhouettes of the decade. He personally selected and illustrated 37 of his favorite looks exclusively for WWD. To fit its print layout, 16 looks were selected to pinpoint the major trends of the decade.
Highlights include the peacoat, the belted coat in cire, and the jersey tunic in 1962, followed by the first gypsy look in 1964. His Mondrian dress, the first in his art-inspired series, and translated for the boutiques in 1965, remains one of Saint Laurent's most influential collections. Next in the rotation was the first Midi and the leather and fur coat. In 1966, he shocked fashion with his sheer dress, and the silhouette was revisited in 2006. The first edition of his tuxedo for women, Le Smoking, sold under the Rive Gauche label, alongside his simply chic jersey color-blocked sheath dresses.
The fervor for Rive Gauche lasted well into the 1990s, with a bevy of "It" girls, friends, and muses of the designer - Francoise Hardy, Betty Catroux, LouLou de la Falaise, and Catherine Deneuve - elevating the label's inevitable success.
At the end of the decade, it was clear a revolution in fashion had taken place. Saint Laurent Rive Gauche boutiques evolved with fashion until Yves Saint Laurent retired in 2002. For his final bow, a retrospective show inclusive of Saint Laurent Rive Gauche looks from the 1960s was showcased in an unforgettable salute to the designer's legendary career. The label, including the couture founded by Yves Saint Laurent, was dissolved. In 2012, now owned by the Kering Group, the brand was reinstated under its current moniker "Saint Laurent."
Led by then creative director Hedi Slimane, the brand continues to evolve many of the innovative elements and spirit that started a fashion revolution 40 years ago. Explore Saint Laurent Rive Gauche's early years through Fairchild Archives images in the gallery linked to this article.
