What was the name of Yves Saint Laurent’s ready-to-wear line launched in 1966?

Yves Saint Laurent’s ready-to-wear line launched in 1966 was called Saint Laurent Rive Gauche.

The line took its name from Paris’s Rive Gauche, or Left Bank, an area associated with students, artists, intellectuals, and avant-garde culture. Saint Laurent introduced it as a more accessible ready-to-wear alternative to his haute couture collections.

The first Rive Gauche boutique opened in Paris in September 1966. The collection helped establish the designer as a major force in modern fashion beyond traditional couture. It also made his ideas available to a broader group of customers.

Rive Gauche should not be confused with the later brand naming conventions that use “Saint Laurent Paris.” The phrase also appears in the names of perfumes and other products connected with the house, but its original fashion significance was the 1966 ready-to-wear line.