Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche
Sunglass Collection


Tom Ford has imbued Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche with mystery and sensuality. Now he brings these qualities to his designs for the new Yves Saint Laurent Sunglass Collection for men and women.

The twenty-five styles, several of which have been featured on the Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche runway, are bold but resolutely simple, such as a modern reinterpretation of the classic aviator. The sleek, straightforward lines are designed to complement men and women alike, with molded acetate and metal frames surrounding lenses in shades of inky black, dark chocolate, rich plum, mirrored chrome, or a transparent lens that shades to gray.

Unique to Yves Saint Laurent is the new streamlined version of the house’s iconic rectangular black plastic frames. Reinterpreted as sunglasses, the frames are fashioned from Optyl, a highly resilient thermosetting resin that is used for other variations on the rectangular frame.

Optyl is also used to shape a series of mask frames, which take their inspiration from ski goggles-. In these aerodynamic styles, the thinnest band of shiny chrome, black metal, or black Optyl floats over lenses in olive, plum, black, or mirror, held close to the face by the slimmest of temples. In another stylish variation, a frameless mask rests on the nose with only a narrow bridge of chrome.

Understatement is an important part of the Yves Saint Laurent mystique, so logos are used sparingly. The celebrated YSL is engraved on the temples of select frames, and Yves Saint Laurent subtly graces the lens on a discrete number of aviator styles.