Y Yves Saint Laurent 1964 Eau de Toilette

Version from 1964

Y (1964) (Eau de Toilette) by Yves Saint Laurent

Bottle Design Pierre Dinand

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Y (1964) (Eau de Toilette) (Yves Saint Laurent)

8.4 / 10 126 Ratings

Y (1964) (Eau de Toilette) is a popular perfume by Yves Saint Laurent for women and was released in 1964. The scent is chypreartig-floral. The production was apparently discontinued.

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Main accords

Chypre

Floral

Green

Fresh

Woody

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Green notes

Aldehydes

Gardenia

Peach

Honeysuckle

Plum

Heart Notes

Hyacinth

Jasmine

Tuberose

Ylang-ylang

Orris root

Rose

Base Notes

Oakmoss

Amber

Sandalwood

Vetiver

Benzoin

Civet

Patchouli

Styrax

Perfumer

Jean Amic

Ratings

Scent

8.4126 Ratings

Longevity

7.286 Ratings

Sillage

6.583 Ratings

Bottle

7.484 Ratings

Submitted by DonVanVliet, last update on 06.10.2022.

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7 in-depth fragrance descriptions

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07/16/2018

Ypsilon

Translated Show original

Ypsilon

Very helpful Review 13

Y the original from the mid 60s

It must have been around 1977 when I came to the payroll office of my training company and smelled this scent for the first time. A temp (younger than me) had hung him up and I loved him from that moment on. She gave me the sample bottle to say goodbye because she didn't like the scent. From that day on, I indulged in perfume, usually duty free, or bought it in Spain much cheaper than in a shop in Germany. And then suddenly you couldn't get "my" Y anymore. Great joy when I rediscovered it on the Internet. What I didn't know was that it was a "replica" that didn't deliver what Y promised. In addition, this block bottle in powder pink is an extremely unwieldy thing. The original from the Mid-Century is and remains unmatched!

12/27/2012

Krmarich
24 Reviews

Krmarich

Very helpful Review 10

Superb...

I was born in 1964 as well, at the crossroads of modern perfume history when Y was introduced. Y was the cornerstone of an empire that would eventually dominate my world. I had an older cousin who lived in Detroit before it collapsed-say 1973. She played David Bowie and Elton John records and wore Y. She was my idol! Enough said. It was forever branded for cool people only. It was massive and unforgettable. Detroit, my cousin and Y have sadly since disappeared.

I found a perfectly preserved vintage spray last year and have rediscovered its majestic power. This epic masterpiece is perhaps the definitive chypre behind Mitsouko and Coty's original. I have described it like Mitsouko on steroids. Why? Perhaps more redolent florals in the composition? It seems so tighly compressed as if it sat in the vat for centuries! Micheal Hy was a genius in his brief career. Calandre and Rive Guache were to follow. I suspect he worked on YSL Pour Hommme.

The opening is indeed incredible. The fruit has an aged fermented quality to it. This particular bottle takes a good six hours or more to work through the florals. Indeed, the brilliance of the chypre is defined here. Time is required for the novice. It can last 24 hours or more depending on the wearer. Expeiencing it in its original form is the only way.

Around 2002, I tried a mini and was heartbroken. Although Y was never as commecially successful as Opium, it had a cult following. Did YSL think no one would notice? The oakmoss and vetiver was gone! It has finally been raised forever at the brutal hands of L'Oreal Paris. Maybe one day it will return? I cannot loose hope. Until then, I apply a drop at a time and mourn as my bottle gets lower...

11/15/2012

10
Scent

Smellsogood
75 Reviews

Smellsogood

Very helpful Review 5

Y Wouldn't You

Forget Guerlain's "Little Black Dress." YSL made the perfect LBD in Y. This is the epitome of chic and style. The wear anywhere, anytime, with anything fragrance. An effortless wonder that is green, but not too green. Clean, but not too clean. Mossy, but not too mossy......I could go on, it is never too anything, it is just perfect. In fact if I could only have one fragrance, it would probably be this. Wonderful.

08/02/2012

jtd
484 Reviews

jtd

Very helpful Review 5

1964: Y and me

It’s no wonder that people love this scent. It is beautiful from so many angles, and so deftly balanced. And, wonderfully, this balance doesn’t seem the result of consensus. This is not the middle of the road in a bottle. It contains the best of green florals and grassiness, a smart fruit choice, a confident dose of moss and just enough darkness in the basenotes to make it meld with your skin. It is a quality of many chypres to sink into the skin over time. This one becomes a skin scent, but one with sillage, almost instantly.

There is something so poised and charming about Y. It has confidence yet never seems to have to prove itself. There’s just that hint of a knowing smile. God, I wish I were Y. Interestingly, while other green scents suggest flowers, grasses, things you might find out-of-doors, Y is in fact outdoorsy. It has all the city sophistication of similar fragrances (Cristalle, Silences, No. 19) but seems perfectly at home in the woods.

Y was released in 1964, the year I was born and a year I’ve never quite made sense of. I remember what the later 60s were like on the east coast of the US where I lived at the time. Yet photos from 1964 look like the mid-50s to me. Y captures a bit of this for me. A few years earlier and Y might have been Jolie Madame, a few years later, Diorella. Y is a bit like the gen-X of green fruity chypres.

02/20/2012

5
Sillage 7.5
Longevity 7
Scent

Missk
1165 Reviews

Missk

Helpful Review 6

Classic green chypre

Y may just be one of YSL's most underappreciated fragrances yet. Being overshadowed by all the glitz and glamour that YSL seems to represent today, this bottle is often lost among the sparkly Parisienne or the candy pink Baby Doll.

This fragrance is a classic, especially in the way that it doesn't have to be loud or ground-breaking to be so loved.

When I first smelt Y the word 'clean' came to mind. I wanted to say soapy and fresh, however Y isn't either of those things. It's clean in a very natural and simplistic sense of the word, like something that becomes you, rather than announcing to the world that it's a perfume.

It isn't heavy and it isn't offensive. Y is classy and sophisticated but also versatile enough to be casual and alluring.

It's green and woodsy with a somewhat powdery quality. It doesn't feel dated and I would not have guessed that this fragrance originated from the 1960's. Although not particularly outstanding, the scent itself is quite addictive. It was something that I had to smell over and over again just to embrace its beauty.

I must add that this fragrance isn't as dry as some chypres, it has a delicate moistness, possibly caused by the rich green notes and the earthy, wet patchouli note. The fragrance also tends to smell a little musty.

The aura of Y is incredible. It conjures up thoughts of cleanliness, fresh bouquets of flowers and soft, burning incense. Perhaps slightly 'churchey' and refined in its manner.

I could talk about this fragrance all day, as there are many levels to be experienced here. Y is one of those fragrances that leave a profoundly good impression despite its subtlety.

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