Okay so last week I was chatting with a friend about designer bags, right? She mentioned wanting a “YSL” but then later called it “Saint Laurent Paris.” I just froze for a second. Wait, which one is it? Are they the same? I felt kinda dumb not knowing. So, yeah, I went down a rabbit hole figuring this out. Here’s exactly what I did.
First off, I grabbed my laptop and a notebook. Opened up a search engine – obviously. Typed in “YSL Saint Laurent difference.” Saw tons of fashion articles and forum posts popping up. Started clicking through them all, like five or six different sites. Real quick, I got hit with info overload. Some articles said it was the same brand, others talked about a rebrand… total confusion at first. I scribbled down notes: “Same company?” “Name change?” “Different products?”
The Name Mess
It clicked reading a couple of sources: the key is the logo and the context. I remember seeing those sleek, slim bags with just “YSL” on them? Turned out, those are usually from before 2012. But then I saw ads for bags and clothes with the longer “Saint Laurent Paris” name, especially the really expensive, sharp-looking stuff? That started after 2012 when the designer Hedi Slimane came in.
Digging Into the History
Needed to understand why the name changed in the first place. Back to searching. Focused on articles that talked about the brand’s history. Here’s the timeline I pieced together:
- The Beginning (1961): Crazy talented guy named Yves Saint Laurent (YSL!) founds the label “Yves Saint Laurent.” Iconic tuxedo suit for women? Le Smoking? That’s him. Legend.
- Logo Stuff: Everyone recognizes that overlapping Y, S, L logo, right? Became super famous, plastered on everything.
- The Big Shift (2012): Hedi Slimane becomes the creative director. Dude made a major move. He changed the ready-to-wear line’s official name from “Yves Saint Laurent” to just “Saint Laurent Paris.” Mind. Blown. Why? Articles said he wanted it to feel younger, cooler, maybe even a bit more rock-and-roll. Plus, “Saint Laurent Paris” sounded more like a location, kinda like the vibe.
- The Important Detail: Here’s what I kept getting wrong at first. The company name legally stayed “Yves Saint Laurent.” The “Saint Laurent Paris” name is specifically for the super high-end fashion line Hedi launched.
- The Lipsticks & More: What about the makeup counters and the perfume? Those classic items like the Touche Éclat or Black Opium perfume? They never really stopped using “YSL” as their main brand name. It’s iconic, people know it instantly. Same goes for lots of accessories like wallets or small leather goods.
So I kinda mapped it out like this on my notepad:
- SAINT LAURENT PARIS: = The high-fashion clothing line after 2012 (like the expensive jackets, dresses, those sleek bags with clean lines, often just saying “Saint Laurent”).
- YSL: = The brand name used for all the classic stuff – makeup, perfume, fragrance, a lot of accessories, and also kinda refers to the whole legacy and history before the big name change.
- COMPANY: Yves Saint Laurent (still!)
Checking My Work
Not gonna lie, this confused me so much at first. To double-check, I went right to the source: looked up the official brand websites. Went to the main beauty/perfume site – boom, giant “YSL Beauty.” Then went to the actual fashion website selling clothes – and yep, it clearly says “Saint Laurent” all over it, especially the pricey ready-to-wear sections. Seeing it directly on their own sites finally made it click for me.
So yeah, that’s the deal. My friend wasn’t technically wrong calling it “YSL” – it’s still the name for the makeup and the historical brand. But that specific fashion line she was drooling over? That’s officially “Saint Laurent Paris.” It’s less of a name change and more like splitting how they brand different parts of the same company. Totally get why it trips people up! Glad I dug in.