Yves Saint Laurent
Parisian couture house. The cursive script label and the Rive Gauche ready-to-wear line frame the most collectible decades of vintage YSL.
- Origin
- France
- Founded
- 1961
- Category
- High Fashion
- Documented eras
- 3
How Yves Saint Laurent labels evolved over time. Match the markers below against the tag in hand to place a garment in its era.
1962–1966
Haute Couture Numbered Labels
Earliest YSL pieces are haute couture, carrying numbered couture labels.
- 'Yves Saint Laurent' couture label
- Hand-numbered couture identification
- Paris atelier construction
How to spot it
A numbered couture label rather than a ready-to-wear tag.
Value signal
Museum-grade; rarely encountered outside specialist channels.
1966–1999
Rive Gauche Ready-to-Wear
The Rive Gauche line, from 1966, brought YSL to ready-to-wear with the cursive script label.
- 'Saint Laurent Rive Gauche' label
- Cursive 'Yves Saint Laurent' script
- Made in France
- YSL Cassandre monogram on hardware and accessories
How to spot it
A 'Rive Gauche' label with the cursive YSL script.
Value signal
Rive Gauche pieces are the core of the vintage YSL market.
1999–present
Acquisition Era & Rebrand
After the 1999 Gucci Group acquisition the label evolved, and in 2012 ready-to-wear was renamed 'Saint Laurent Paris'.
- Transitional 'Yves Saint Laurent' ready-to-wear labels
- 'Saint Laurent Paris' from 2012
- Updated typographic logo
How to spot it
'Saint Laurent Paris' indicates 2012 or later.
Value signal
Demand varies sharply by designer era; the Tom Ford period is especially sought after.