Rive Gauche Yves Saint Laurent for women

Sharp overpowering and quite obnoxious!
This perfume gave me a headache, it was as if I had taken a sudafed tablet and all my nasal capillaries were opened. Yeuch!

I loove Rive Gauche! it's such a classy elegant perfume. I had the pleasure yesterday of trying the original on one wrist and the modern formulation on the other wrist. Honestly I didn't really sense a difference in the two versions except the opening notes. The original has a powdery resinous opening that smelled kind of stale, the box of the tester in the perfume shop looked really old and beat up so maybe it wasn't cared for and the top notes went off but the drydown was simply beautiful powdery soft florals with a hint of green in the backgound. The downside was it didn't last on my skin maybe twenty minutes then it was gone.

The newer version is breathtaking it's the version I prefer sorry everyone! The opening is fresher as i've read on other perfume review sites it starts off with a powdery rootiness and the drydown gets more woodsy it's creamier and the powdery florals are more pronounced. The drydown turns into a more generic classic perfume scent peach with an aldyhydic undertone that I got from Arpege and First I like this fragrance more though. Then it turns into a very feminine scent with more powder and a hint of musk. The scent life was amazing I think one spritz lasted 8 hours and I was walking around in the cold all day so it'll definitely last on warmer days. I got no cold metallic notes from either and I didn't sense any citrus. Both are beautiful and I wouldn't mind owning both but the new version is beautiful in it's own right so if you can't find the old the new is a good subsitute.

EDIT 2/6/2012: I picked this up a couple days ago and i'm absolutely loving it! The more I wear the more it reminds me of Chanel no. 19 but without the leather notes. Rive Gauche is such a gorgeous scent it's a sweet powdery green floral based on galbanum, rose, iris and aldehydes the drydown is woodsy with hints of moss and musk. I'll definitely be repurchasing when I run out.

On a cool spring day with clear blue skies. The scent you wear to get things done, at least to me it has an energizing effect.I love this perfume. Syntethic, yes, but it really works on me. I hardly ever wear it though I dont wanna get tired of it. But it is not for everyone and I am thankful for that. I am not everyone! Very special scent -unlike anything. But in a GOOD way!
Oh, and the BOTTLE! Timeless classic.

Rive Gauche was my signature scent as a teen.I love unusual "love 'em or hate 'em" perfumes like this one.I'd rather go naked ( perfumeless) than wear a run-of-the-mill,could-be-anything kind of fragrance.
In a fit of nostalgia and dispairing at ever finding another unusual signature scent after too many women had stolen my Thierry Muglar Angel from me.I bought a bottle of RG..what a disappointment.A sexy sassy perfume has been turned into fly spray.Now it sits sadly at the back of a drawer,a metaphor for my lost youth.Tragic.

I used to wear Rive Gauche when I was young, so recently, in a melancholy mood, I decided to try a tester in the store. My god, where did the original scent go to? This new version is far more synthetic then the old one. It is sad when a good perfume is 'updated'.

Fresh, confident, captivating, unique are the words that describe this fragrance, a very 1980's fragrance that is having a revival at the moment along with other big 80's fragrances to fit the fashion opium, poison if you want an original 1980's daytime fragrance this is just gorgeous

It warms up the skin sensually, very feminine and classic, strong

You may not like this, but the YSL Maison can be anything, but dull,and is one of a few that deserves respect. Vintage and modern at the same time......still producing classics like this one.....

i say...


wow

This is by far the best YSL perfume, although since it was launched usually the cheapest one, whcih shows that quality is nothing to do with price. It is the most classical one and a true landmark in the history of perfumery. Very, very sophisticated. Like all good perfumes, it is not supposed to be sniffed off your skin, because it does have a good projection and the smell is different from close on and at a distance. It opens with strong aldehyds,lemon and honeysuckle, and in the heart gardenia and geranium are the most noticeable notes, mostly gardenia. This is a real perfume, one can only catch its beauty on another person. The reformulation is not as good as the original, but strength, projection and longevity are much better.

I wear this fragrance when I'm in the 'mood' - It's rich and can be heady; very powdery scent. A delight for one who enjoys viva le difference. I wore this years ago and a friend gifted me with another spritz of it. I enjoy 'sometimes'as it can be too strong for my senses.

very foreign and unusual...yet pleasant

Vintage
Green, rose, copper patina, slightly powdery. Elusive, mutable, invites repeated sniffing.

New
Not so much. Lots of vanilla added. Smells like a green rosy powdered doughnut lightly sprinkled with some better smelling, head shop incense. Not bad, but not my thing.

My mom was given this perfume by a French exchange student. She hated it, and I loved it! So, I whisked off her vanity and back to college with me. Whenever I go to France, I buy a bottle of Rive Gauche. I was delighted to learn that Rive Gauche also had nail polish and other cosmetics. I still wear Rive Gauche. It is my signature sent. I have noticed that the scent has changed, but I didn't realize it was reformulated.

Once upon a time there was an elegant floral named Rive Gauche. Its captivating chic beauty entranced women of all ages.

Jasmine, lily of the valley and other fragrant flowers were all part of the aromatic bouquet that surrounded Rive Gauche's wearers like a satiny cloud.

This perfume lasted and lasted, with wonderful sillage and it was a true gem, really reminiscent of the ambience of Paris' left bank.

THEN...

One day the big bad Reformulator came along and had his evil way with this fragrance.

And now it is merely a shadow of what it one was.

It smells synthetic, and chemical. It's suffocating and harsh. It's just SUCH a shame to see another YSL perfume ruined by reformulation.

Yes...unfortunately there is no fairytale ending for poor Rive Gauche.

This was one of the scents that provided a backdrop to my childhood, as it was my grandma's signature. Whenever I can find one, I pick up a bottle of the vintage for her, as it's still her favorite, but she won't wear the new version.

Please... YSL has already ruined Rive Gauche, Paris, Opium... how many more of these beautiful scents will be destroyed by reformulation?

Very femininely french, sophisticated, rich, cool, haughty, metallic, posh. Not for little girls. My favorite floral aldehyde.

Distinct, unparalleled, gorgeous. Like many great scents, never gets boring. And it goes on and on and on.

I've worn Rive Gauche for a while, now, and it remains one of my go to fragrances year round. It starts sharp and strong with the ever powerful '70's ladened aldehyde opening, an icy cold metallic note that Gauche has always been known for, then merging into the oakmoss, vetiver and rose notes. It's slightly powdery in a different sense of powder. It's the kind of powder that reminds me of say, snow.Gauche's metallic opening goes on into the dry down, combining with the rose, predominatly, creating a mild rose chypre. It was ahead of its time when it made itself known back in '70, and today, 41 years later, still beats out so many others in terms of elegance.

This is my "Up On The Roof" perfume, where Carole King told many years ago, that, once I'm up there, "the world below can't bother me". It's comforting.

Rive Gauche has grown on me. I’ve always liked it, smelling it a bit late in the game in the early 1990s on a friend who had to my mind a perfect balance of chic and practicality. She had a discerning, unpretentious knack for picking from high and low cultures what suited her best. She wore Rive Gauche and it fit her perfectly.

Recently I wrote that I preferred Paco Rabanne’s Calandre to RG. Call me sometimey, but today I prefer RG. Their similarities allow their differences to come into view clearly. Calandre is an aldehydic rose floral that winds up with a vaguely bitter green chypre drydown that I wouldn’t have expected at the outset. It’s a beautiful trajectory over time. RG’s aldehydes last longer and move the rose into the sweet viscous shadow of a tonka/galbanum gumminess that feels like a thick incensy resin. Despite Calandre’s reference to metal (chrome grill), RG has more of a metallic feel. It’s cool with a bit of that flinty smell shared by metal and stone. There is a constant question among the perfume set. What is a good rose for men? Here’s your answer.

Rive Gauche - Yves Saint Laurent
Byzance - Rochas
Calandre - Paco Rabanne

3 Cult Classics all cut down & reformulated to double profits - that is all Proctor & Gamble and the like care about.

We still have some Calandre flacons left from the very last production period but our customers forever ask for Byzance - most are unaware that Rive Gauche was reformulated - as was Opium in 2009...

Many Guerlains are nothing like their originals due to ingredient tampering following Jean Paul Guerlains un-holy sale to LVMH.

Madame Rochas & Rochas Femme will soon too no doubt be cut off and have their production ceased within the next 5 year at the rate Proctor & Gamble is going.

I never got a chance to smell this YSL classic with the very snobbish name (I did have a chat with an upper class French lady once, habitant of Paris' Rive Gauche, who very proudly proclaimed "Moi M. ION, I have never been to Rive Droite") until today, but I must admit that I've always had a secret fascination for its futuristic - tubelike bottle with the rather unexpected and most definitely unconventional color selection and design!
They say it has been reformulated and considerably changed, maybe that's why I can't justify its success.
It does have a strong and "direct" quality however, with something abstract inbetween, and it does smell like the new "Chanel No 19 Poudre' " in its drydown maybe less tender and spacious.

Of course I have no reasons to doubt that it used to be a lot better and I do feel that the bottle has always been (and still is) ahead of its time!

My love affair with Rive Gauche began in the early 80's after finding a 1/4 oz parfum in a holiday villa that the previous guests had left behind, At the time my perfume of choice was Chanel 19 extrait (original) both had that similar metallic note due to the combination of white florals and orris absolute, few perfumes have this ability to impress, R.G certainly had that 'Wow' factor, sadly the re formulation doesn't come remotely close to the original. Rive Gauche is one of a handful of fragrances that I genuinely do miss, long gone are the days of searching suburban pharmacies & variety discounters in the hope of discovering some overlooked cannisters of the eau de parfum, used cans or testers were both acceptable, in fact I just lost interest and moved on. The present eau de toilette is still a high quality product and universally available.
Tres Tragic.......

Cubby and krmarich, I concur. Aahh...Rive Gauche!! that left bank aldehyic 70's masterpiece in the iconic silver metal can with the french blue and black stripes. Oh how this one takes me back to a time and place IN FRAGRANCE where I really want to be!Like a lot of you, I too am mourning the death of countless, beloved scents as we once knew them. When will this reformulation madness, responsible for the needless slaughter of our olfactory delights, end? Is it possible to CONVINCE profit driven companies, who insist on catering to a generation who only crave fruit, that there is still a THRIVING market for fragrance classics?


Rive Gauche. So gorgeous and special. Undoubtly, one of Laurent's best efforts. A must try for aldehyde fragrance lovers. Skip the reformulation and snag a bottle of the original, if you can. And don't be surprised if you find yourself putting this on your keepers list.

To EK: I doubt it was a preferential change. It's been reformulated and gives me such a headache. I've tried it several times - hardly smells at all like it did when I received my first can as a gift in 1976.

And yes, Calandre was its predesesssor--same nose. I have a full bottle of Calandre, right before it was discontinued last summer. How I wish those types of fragrances would come back in style.

The first time I tried RG I just fell for it, I thought that's the way a good looking woman suppose to smell(I was seven years old). But, last year I decided to try it again and I found out it was reformulated (why); it used to be charming, sophisticated and almost magnectique, now it became the classical powdery sinthetic yet elegant fragrance you can find at any more or less renoun perfume brand.

I first bought Rive Gauche in High School, in an attempt to move away from the sweet teen perfumes (remember Sweet Honesty?). I loved the clean scent. It reminded me of rain. However, I haven't bought it since and have moved on to other fragrances.

The original beauty was incomparable on several levels. In its day, it was so fashionable and chic! It became a commercial hit, making YSL a household name in many markets! The container was the first of its kind-metal-shocking. Would the contents last?

I have a very large container fron the mid 1970s and it is as good if not better than anything in glass. In fact, the "designer imposters" used metal canister. That was just the beginning.

RG has the same nose as Calandre. It was always more popular, yet never as good. Its is a frosted floral with lots of Ylang, rose and jasmine. The sandalwood chypre base harmonizes well and last until the next day.

It lasted nearly 30 years and then like magic, was reformulated. I felt somewhat familiar, yet ultimately confused and disappointed. If its not broken dont fix it!

I wore the original one back in the 80's (as did everyone, I think). When I retried it several years later, I found it disgusting, chemical and nauseating. Funny how preferences can change over time. I don't know the new version though.

People really compare this to Calandre but I don't get it. It's okay.. . Never tried the reformulated version though. I only tried the original one! It's alright but not as alluring as Calandre.

I think I actually like this better than Chanel No. 5 (which, by the way, has been reformulated). It certainly lasts longer on me. It gives me the definite impression of aldehyde soap, the same way White Linen does, but Rive Gauche is less blinding-white and clean. The drydown is almost metallic. I love the rose note in the middle.

Was my absolutely irreplaceable signature scent until some not so clever clog decided it needed a "reformulation". (Who the f*** advised him I wonder?) A spy from a rival brand, I hope, because I'm sure Rive Gauche sales have tumbled as many others like myself have let go our addiction to what used to be the most original, most imaginative and, indescribable scent in the whole world.
Predictably, with an inferior reformulated scent, they had to have a price hike, just to prove they were still in the "Top Ten" -- but nobody's fooled and we've all moved on to more scented pastures....
But I live in perpetual fear that all my previously beloved scents will either be re-formulated, (Rive Gauche, Ysatis) -- they will be discontinued and disappear from the shelves (and websites) almost completely: Caleche, Calendre, all the Carons, all the Carvens and my Carolina Herrera (the original) is also beginning to disappear....currently my signature evening scent.
Every time I search for Caleche, am led to the ruddy "Kelly" -- yes, sure, okay for some but I want that original delicious Caleche, (a few drops lasted 18 hours on me and that's just the Eau de toilette!) So the price was no problem.
Why do perfume makers fail to get the message? The world's top-selling perfume, (Chanel No. 5, one bottle sold every 48 seconds) is also the ONLY perfume that has never been reformulated and when new or replacement ingredients are necessary, every attempt is made to replicate the original cocktail of 1921.

How many of today's over-priced stinkers will still be around, in the same format, 90 years from now, eh?

Gotta go now and surf every website to stock up on old favourites before they get reinvented for the worse!

This perfume smells like an utterly wonderful bar of soap. Creamy, powdwey, soapy, and definite note of ylang ylang.

I ordered a decant from Perfumed Court. ICK! is all I can say about the current version. It gave me such a headache. Oh, to have vintage Rive Gauche available again...or even what I ordered online in 1999.

This is a quintessential 70s rock chick's fragrance. I also think it has the glam rock scene stamped all over it - heavy makeup, flares, suede, etc. - just take a look at that tin can it comes in! I used to think the tin can looked cheap, but now it looks cool & iconic to me as though it belongs in a chic urbanite's handbag. It smells avant garde today, and God only knows how futuristic it must have smelt when it first came out. Like Cacherel’s Loulou (to which I think it bears a passing resemblance), RG has survived to this day against the odds in a world full of soft, flowery, ultra-feminine women’s scents. I love it. A legendary fragrance for independently-minded women, but I feel not one to be bought blindly...because it smells strongly like a bug spray...a nice bug spray I hasten to add lest I get handbagged ;-)

SO FRENCH, SO SOPHISTICATED, SO URBAN. Super-powdery but cool. Feminine but arrogant. Cashmere-like but metallic. One of the most remarkable perfumes of all times-- at leat in the original version.

Love love love love - been with me since the late 70's and the reformulated one is even better on my nose! Just upset that we cannot seem to get the soap, dusting powder etc here any longer! Just the body lotion - oh well *SIGHS*

It sure smells like it came from the 1970's . . . not for me it smells like nail polish remover on me.

Will always like this scent...not sure what the new version is like as still have (I think the older) as still smells the same to me and sure would notice if it was different.

So French, so romantic, so feminine and flawless!
Though once a time it was on top as a highly fashionable floral perfume, today it's not something you dare to wear easily. Not for your surrounding, you may get headache in over-apply. It's still nice and it's dry down or less amount makes me insane. More than sexy it's elegant and romantic.
Anyway, I think it must be a part of French heritage just as Saint Laurent is a face in that.

A wonderful, well-developped almost iconic rose scent. It is a bit strong at first, but the dry-down reveals a soft, smooth rose with a powdery overtone. The aldehydes, in this, are not overwhelming as they can be in many scents. I also get a very slight almost spicy note, not overt, but there in the background. Would not wear this every day, but it is definitely a true classic that I would turn to more than once!

Unlike some other fragrances based on aldehydes and flowers (Arpege or Chanel No 5), this one doesn't make me feel like wearing something age inappropriate. The floral soapiness gets somewhat spicy in my nose (is it the geranium?), yet it feels all quite refined and empowering at the same time, ending with rose in a splendid drydown.

I have yet to compare it back to back with Estée Lauder's Knowing, which does similar thing to me, but I'll probably have to buy a large bottle of Rive Gauche eventually. By the way, I enjoy wearing it with men-style clothes, it seems to fit a lady in a suit very well. Just make sure the suit is more of the Marlene Dietrich kind, not something that will turn you into Hillary Clinton. Bisous. ;-)

UPDATE 1: Bought the big bottle and I'll be pretty surprised if this turns out to be my last one. There is no other fragrance in my humble collection (samples and decants included) that instantly makes me think of how damn' well put together it is.

UPDATE 2: I since obtained the sample of Guerlain's Vetiver pour Elle, so now there are two. :)

I am a true Parisian AND from the rive gauche too, but I have never liked it and I still don't. It is just not a fragrance I like, I cannot explain it in very expert words, it is more a gut reaction!

Loved this scent in the mid 70s - I wore it whenever I was lusting after my fiance. So funny - it was not my usual fragrance; that was Replique. But whenever I put on Rive Gauche is was just a signal for him to ATTACK!

This could knock down flies at forty paces! Ugh! I've always hated it and, though I keep testing it every few years just to see if that's changed, I still hate it!
To me, it's sharp and cheap-smelling with a lingering chemical trace.

Oh Lordy Lordy !!! This is a blast from the past!

As I'm getting bored with all the modern/celeb/over-sweet concoctions , I'm going down the Retro Route :)

This wonderful site has given me lots of ideas of what to try next.

Now to RG - Both my mother and my Aunt used to LOVE this in the early 80s . I find it a heavy scent , and the sillage , well ....everyone around you will smell you coming, but there's something about it i just love !

I remember having a sneaky spray of this as a child ( he-he! My Mum used to get exasperated at me spraying her expensive scents all the time!)

The thing i remember most is the opening note - Cold , hard , Metallic , almost a "Blood" smell? Weird i know , but that's what i got. Once its settled down its an unusual and attention commanding scent.

Must be the aldehydes.

UNfortunately it smells vile on me , must be my "chemistry". But i love to smell it on others for the nostalgia trip alone !!

Classic Masterpiece , that i wish i could wear ! 9/10

As an admirer of Anais Anais in the past and not a teenager anymore, I've been long-looking for a scent of the same class & style, but more mature and suitable to wear now that I'm 30+. Finally, I found that Rive Gauche was the answer! I see some lovely similarities between both AA and RG, I particularly love that 'white coldness' about them. River Gauche is very rich and high-class; strong yet non-aggressive; a scent of a confident lady.

Why thank you, dahling Malia!

I believe a LOT of the hype about Chanel No.5 (which is lovely, just not in RG's league) is that Marilyn Monroe wore it. Sorry to tell you ladies, but if MM wore ketchup for a scent, the men would have still lusted after her. It was NOT her perfume (or her IQ...I make me laugh!)

There, I said it. I may boldly write Luca Turin this very fact one day when I'm feelin' brave (& slightly drunk - jokula!), just to REALLY get it off my chest.

I've been with my hubby for 13 years, and I wear RG every so often, when I feel he needs a gentle reminder of just how special I am, and how lucky he is to have me. Gives me, and him, that "out of your league" feelin' (helps if I'm dressed to the nines of course), one that he gives me every now and then too....which makes us want each other VERY badly...

RG is "The Good Stuff". I believe that this is the only floral aldehyde that I really like.

Rive Gauche is to be recognized out of thousands perfumes. It says a lot already. I love its unique scent. Classy, chique, bold and very noticable. Not for everyone to be worn though...

Angel10, great review!

I love Rive Gauche! The best floral aldehyde ever! Kicks Chanel No. 5's butt! Very classy and french, and a little naughty! (something that Ch #5 is lacking for sure!) My hubby LOVES when I wear this....I can expect to be attacked! It really does have a metallic coldness about it, but that is part of what makes it truly lovely. This is also one of the finest fragrances in terms of blending....very hard to pick out any one particular flower or ingredient, it's just one of those "Wow, that smells soooo good" perfumes! No other smells nearly like it...truly unique.

I think that Rive Gauche is a tender fragrance for strong women! I can see it on ambitious young careerist, who doesn't lose her femininity, even she's an independent selfmade lady!
Don't pay attention to metallic sweetness in the very beginning. You need to wait for 10 minutes and then gorgeous bouquet of white flowers will bloom. Than these flowers turns into soft powder, it stays on your skin many hours later. Aroma lasts for long, but doesn't trouble me but becomes a part of me. For me it's delicate springtime scent with character!
Rive Gauche has its own personality, and it also has all advantages of floral adelhydes. First I thought that bottle looks like hair spray or airfresher, but later I had understood that it's really original with its stripes. Truly avant-garde!
I feel myself brave with Rive Gauche! (not that brave as a girl in the commercial with her fast secret wedding)

Here we have a vintage classy perfume.
It opens extremely floral and chemical. This chemical odor is the boldest common treat among YSL perfumes.
Rive Gauche, just like most of feminine YSL perfumes, presents an earthy, lustful and immensely deep mood. It's extremely floral and herbal too and this pattern makes it difficult to discern the fruity notes. It evokes a luxurious feminine sexiness. Highly seductive for men whose taste is on highly floral aura. It's heavy, mystic, deep and overpowering.
It plays on ceremonial night dresses in cold weather and not so warm like early autumn.

longevity 10/10
sillage 8/10
scent 7/10

i had the original. i have no idea what the new version smells like. i wasn't a fan of it. its smells like soap that men use to wash the grease off their hands, kind of a metal soap scent. i found it strong and not very attractive. more of a masculine scent. once you sprayed it on it was with you for the day. i eventually gave it away.

Very RETRO! This is a classic type of fragrance.

Very, very flowery and quite sweet. Rive Gauche is powdery and pleasing. The drydown is the best part. The modern version is nice, but I especially like the vintage.

Good but I just can't get very excited about it.

yes,after trying it I thought metal packadging does justice to the perfume. Not sure it is as great as other YSL creations, or other aldehides. But maybe i need to know it better yet...
worth trying

I do not like aldehydes, but I loved this. My mom had it in the '70's. I think it was the first "sophisticated" frag I liked. I tried the shower gel and it was great. I snuck srays of the EDT before I went to school. It was soft and it had a warm dry down. I guess they still make it but in a different formula. I will have to check it out.

Very classy, very personilized!
And incredibly similar to Chanel No 19 Deodorant.

Very elegant drydown, with roses and something metallic. I sprayed it in a card in the department stores and put it in my bag and when I got home I couldn´t believe how much it had changed. So smart,for intelligent strong business women.

Hi.

as this is my ultimate review in this year then first let me say HAPPY NEW YEAR Ladies and Gentleman.I hope you have a Nice year and also i wish you Joy,Peace and Love in next year.Thank you for following my reviews.

RIVE GAUCHE by YSL is an exceptionally recognizable and generous fragrance.it is a artistic example of what a real Classic fragrance should be.A noteworthy combination of Fresh Fruity notes and a bouquet of Feminine floral that accords with a Precious Woody base notes to make a Delightful,Ladylike,Discreet, Everlasting,Sophisticated and Classy.

However it is not too strong but has a presence which is lasting and completely impressed my olfactory senses.It is also a versatile fragrance for any occasion especially perfect for someone going to a board meeting. suitable for a Demure and Stylish lady. Anyway a wonderful classic fragrance but not in a old fashioned way.

Sillage?Ok.

Longevity?Very Good on my skin.

7.5/10

Rive gauche for women is simply an evergreen chypre fragrance by YSL. Though it's a bit outdated now but still it is spreading its charm like ever before. truly classic and elegant of its time. I really appreciate this fragrance on a mature and charming lady. Excellent silage and good longevity.
I give it 8 out of 10.

It's so sharp and artificial to my nose, hated it the minute I sprayed it. I thought maybe it would get better in time, when the aldehyde disappeared but no. It's still bad. After 5 hours of applying, it smells like an old soap. Well, I guess floral aldehydes are not for me, I hate Chanel No.5 too :))

Nice elegant soft and feminine rose. A little soapy in the beginning but not cheap smellng by any means and has alot of projection start to finish.
I find the citrus shows up more toward the middle than the top and it sweetens going into the drydown, similar to No 22 but more grassy than white flowers.
It's not dowdy or dated but it's not youthful or daring either. More like something retro you'd wear to impress the new mother in law.
I wouldn't shell out big bucks for it but would wear it if gifted as it's well done,just a touch boring.

I strongly deslike this fragrance. When I was a kid every doctor/dentist/professor (horrible people at the time) used to wear Rive Gauche and I've been trying to enjoy this fragrance, but when I smell it I just feel like I'm going to have a panic attack. This perfume is a trauma for me.
But beyond that, I think is a really well made fragrance, perfectly blended, another monter sillage from YSL and the longlasting is amazing off course.
The only note that is more obvious on my skin is rose, but I have to work hard to find it because RG is a perfume with capital P, and its not suppose to smell like anything else.
This is not for traumatized people like me, and in my opinion this smells like old clothes in the closet. Its powdery and headaching. I understand why people like it but honestly I cant see this fitting a women on the XXI century.
6/10 (because its obvioulsly well made, for my nose is a -100)

(Vintage review)
I’ve been wanting to try this for a long time, since blue is my favorite color and the packaging was speaking to me.

Here is what is wrong with the ad: the table is missing a big ol’ bouquet of white flowers. Fans of Chanel n 5 and Arpege must surely love this, but to me floral aldehydes can only be appreciated from afar.

I feel a little guilty: I never sample new scents during the day but this morning I made an exception. Wouldn’t you know…a co-worker stopped by for a 30 min meeting. Are you familiar with the game where you hit little critters that pop up from the hole, it’s called ‘whacky critters’, something like that. You get points every time you hit one.

This is what happened this morning, the white notes in Rive Gauche were getting so loud that I feared I was whacking my coworker with scent. I even excused myself to go to the restroom, where I scrubbed my chest. Didn’t really work.

Take away: if you’re looking to sample this, do; its unique. But if jasmine, gardenia and lily-of-the-valley were things that hid under your bed at night then you may want to pass.

Sammiemc said it well! I forgot how amazing this frag is...My best friend's sister had this when I was in high school [mid 70s]...I tried it then, and then received a half bottle from someone a many years ago...I kept it in a dark, dry cabinet, and when I sprayed it on today, I quickly remembered what a classy frag this is...It is suited for EVERYBODY who wants to smell amazing...The bergamot & lemon shine through right away on my skin...the floral combo with the orris and geranium are a MAGICAL mixture...The base notes are an unbeatable combo that hold this frag's outstanding sillage together...Aldehydes don't attract me much, but this one is OUTSTANDING!

Smelled this one today. It is a nice fragrance indeed, but not for me. I am just not that type of woman. The woman in the picture is well casted. That is a kind of woman who can wear this. Very elegant, strong, bussiness-woman. But I don't say it is not a good fragrance. It is very nice, but I think it has to suit you.

I recently obtained an unusual vintage Rive Gauche pdt. I bought it just because it was an pdt and I reconed that it must be the old formulation therefore. It is very difficult to find a pre reformulated RG edt, as the container looks just the same nowadays.

Anyway, when I grew up I got the edt from my father who had been abroad on a business trip. This smells just like I remember it.

Fresh roses on an icy cold cloud. I simply adore it. I've tried the new formula finding it too buzy and too citrusy-amberly. RG original is the most beautiful rose on a cooling bed of very soft woods and balsamic notes. Still very avantgarde. In comparision, it's so stripped down that it is almost close to niche. Try it and you will not be dissapointed.

This was my first 'signature' scent from the age of about 15. Strangely you go through life trying new sensory experiences, but the originals often endure! A true classic in my view.

This is a very very special perfume. A perfume for a great lady, a diva, or a queen. For imposing, authoritary women, very hard working, fiercely independent and very succesful, excelling maybe in their career, also very confident,mature and stylish in a classic way.

That's why this perfume is quite difficult to pull off. It really is VERY special.

A girlfriend re-purchased this yesterday,it smells like a soft rose scented powder and dry woods... It has a old-world feel yet doesnt seem outta place in todays perfume market...I found it 2b a nice change and wouldt mind owning a bottle/canister myself...

This has an Manish presence to it it's almost unisex the scent of dry woody
Aldehydes makes it adrogymous. i can detect fringes of rose there is a sort of bitterness in this that makes it unique then other women Fragrances dries down into lemon. the scent reminds
me of sequoia burning or the scent of
burning Paper the violet brings an powdery feel.

This has a 70's chic feel to it with it's Blue and Black and silver lines
running horizonaly though an cylinder
shaped flacon conjoures up Paris in 1977
with it's smoky discoteques and open air cafes.
this is a scent for women who dares to be different to break with conventional
Bourgeoisie.

perfume par una gran dama: elegante,fuerte y diferente.Desde pequeña lo he relacionado con mujeres con decisión y caracter

I tried this on the other day. I quite liked the smell of it on the tester card so I decided to try it on my skin. It was going ok at first, and then I started to feel nauseous. The longer it stayed on my wrist the more I wanted to run to a tap and scrub it off. I had to resort to spraying vinegar on my arm to neutralise the smell, it just would not come off any other way! So I'll say this much, it has staying power! Now, I know that Perfumes: The Guide, gives it five stars in the masterpiece category, and I really did like Rive Gauche until I sprayed it on myself, but obviously it's not for me. It's a shame.

What scent is it next to?

I remember my mom wearing this in the 80's and trying on myself when I was a child. I have not smelled this since that time I'm curious to see if the new RG smells similar to the original. I never new the name of this perfume until recently, I just remembered what the bottle looked like.

I loved this perfume ten years ago; I don't know if it had been reformulated. It was my favourite perfume, along with Eden and Hiris, but I didn't bought any until recently. I remeber it as defined and controversial as the other two.
Some months ago I finally bought Rive Gauche without testing it again: I had forgotten that it was an aldehyd and it first disappointed me. Since then, I have rediscovered this perfume and found it even more wonderful than the first time. Generally, I find it as oriental as Opium, but with diferent "intentions". It mostly smells as perfumed wood, beautiful dark wood absorbing the smell of northern and southern flowers. Maybe it is more precise to associate it with sophistication, but it makes me think of tropical rain and the tropical sensuous afternoons that come after it. Opium is about the nights.

Re Age: I got my 1st bottle of this when I was 16. I'm now 42 and I still wear it when it feels right. If you want to try to be the independent sophisticated femme fatale this suggest then it doesn't matter how old you are!

Opening on a burst of crisp, chiffon-like, metallic citrus and blooms, before smoothing-out into burled woods and dried grasses. Sporty and hazy, evoking streamlined suits, stark lines, Mondrian minimalism, polyester and tweeds. Captures that style period of sweeping slacks, brick-red lips, oversized glasses and undersized vests, quite well. It always makes me think of the moody intellectuals in 70's and early 80's films, like the characters of "Interiors", "Mon oncle d'Amerique" or "Kramer vs. Kramer".

Ultra sophiticated. Modern and assertive, for the woman who knows what she wants!

I used to wear RG when I was in my upper teens, and I remembered the little hesitation before spraying it on my neck because of the sharp cold metallic note that made it so unique. Now, as a grown up perfume addict I bought RG again not knowing it was reformulated. For me this is a complete different frag than I remember. This one is still exclusive and beautiful but way too heavy for me. Its like a thick smoke of roses and musk. The sad thing is that I really miss the original formula and would like to get it somewhere. Thank you Glitteralex for recommending Calandre (which in itself is a lovley, exclusive sensual fragrance). Calandre is actually more similar to the RG I remember, and it will do for me until I find a vintage bottle somewhere. Because the new one is unwearable for me - eventhough I'm happy to smell it on others.

My scent in the 80s.I did not go anywhere without it. I think it is one of the best florals of all time.I just could eat it! Had a sniff the other day of the reformulated version. And Rive Gauche I'll come back to you! Still wonderful.

my favvvvvvvvourite perfume. very strong i am only 21 but have been wearing it for years! u instantly recognise this on people. my mum bought me it she was a child of the 70's and i adore it now.

Today i bought this lovely perfume.I don't know what the vintage one smells like, but the one I have on me is very very classy.I love floral aldehyde perfumes.

People are saying that age has nothing to do with this perfume. However I think it can be argued that not many young girls would find this appealing. It has a sophisticate opulence about it Im 20 and I dont see myself wearing this till im 35.

Levana you're right, it has nothing to do with age, but how you feel.There are women who have always been women, and those girls in their twenties, thirties and fifties, I think I understand what Northofsweden wanted to say (for example-for me Youth Dew is a perfume for a woman). It is somehow deeper meaning of the word-woman.To me it's state of mind and is not old-fashioned feel like a woman.

i disagree when people say "this perfume is to old for you". i dont think it has anything to do with age. this perfume emphasizes, fulfills the personality. It glows confidence and power,when i smell this perfume i get a don't mess with me woman in my tought. i adore this perfume

When I first came to NYC (when I was age 22), I walked into a (now long gone) drugstore near Lincoln Center. Maybe I was waiting for a prescription? Anyway, while there, as usual I felt the magnetic pull of the perfume testers on the counter, and tried Rive Gauche. I must have had some stunned look on my face when I first experienced the fragrance, because I looked up, and the counter man standing far from me (gee, he was older -- maybe 45? Ha!), said, "It's a sexy smell." Well, YEAH! It still is, and has always been a huge turn-on for me. One day maybe I'll meet that guy again and he'll know me by my Rive Gauche.

I first found this scent on a cruise ship back in the late '70's and bought the largest bottle they had! I loved it and wore it often. I think I burned out on it because I didn't buy another until last year. I didn't know it was reformulated. Perhaps that's why it doesn't send me down memory lane the way other scents do after not wearing them for a time. It's ok but after a year it's still 3/4 full and getting an "old" quality. I put some on a bit of paper and after an hour it seems more appealing...sort of a light powdery floral.

Brilliant unique scent that will never go out of fashion. There is no similar fragrance in perfume world, it is "love or hate", but no doubt with its wide aura for me still the most original fragrance. Urban, irresistible and classy! And a bottle design is so unique. I use it more often as a daily fragrance- gives me confidence... although the composition was changed, aldehydes in general are not old-fashioned.
Rive Gauche is ahead of its time!

This is a real head-turner of a scent. Bold,uncompromising and very recognisable. I feel totally French when I wear this - flirty,well-dressed and full of "je ne sais quoi!"

I wasn't aware that YSL had reformulated this fragrance and I'm rather disappointed that I'll never get to compare the original to this scent.

I'm usually back and forth with aldehydes. In some fragrances I love the powdery and soapy quality that it gives, while in other scents, (for example, Chanel No.5), I hate how it smells sharp and unpleasant.

When I first sprayed Rive Gauche I immediately classed it as a sharp and unpleasant aldehydic fragrance. It was so strong and nose-burning, that it was almost like a bomb had hit me right in the nostrils.

I quickly stuffed this sample into my pocket in case I became nauseated from the scent and soon forgot about it. When I finally got home I emptied my pockets and wondered what smelt so elegant, rich and flowery. It was Rive Gauche.

When the aldehydic opening softens, the scent becomes feminine and romantic. The rose note is delicate with the gardenia, magnolia and jasmine creating such a beautiful floral blend.

It has that delightful, classic type scent which I love. It's difficult to re-create these types of scents which hold so much class, sophistication and elegance in a bottle.

Although I feel as if I'm a little too young to start wearing Rive Gauche, I can always look forward to growing older in hopes of one day owning this wonderful scent.

classsic..confidence and beauty
this is a diva
i dont think many would understand th beauty of this frag.
not extravagant..its clean
a lady with posture and elegance

My all time favourite ever fragrance which I have been wearing since the 80s. I have nearly finished the last bottle I bought and am sad to hear it has been re-formulated. Don't want to try it and be disappointed. Will keep my memories!

I wear it since elementary (dont ask....) and my mother before me since it was launched in France as she was studying there at the time. It never wears off (literary), that's one if it's strong points but what enchants me more is the comfort it gives after a long day. It's a boost up for starting your day and a lullaby when you commute back home.

My mother and I buy this perfume at least 2 times per year and we never regret it!

(BTW: Try the body lotion too!)

THIS WONDERFUL PERFUME IS DEVOTED FOR FREE INDEPENDENT STRONG PEOPLE ;-))

One of the first perfumes I bought as an adult.
A lovely scent for daytime use; light, fresh and long lived.
A classic.
I still love it.

I had this one but not all the time use this scent is a lot of soapy but neverthless I love this scent .

My all time favourite, suitable for any occasion, not too strong, not too subtle. perfect :)

I had Rive Gauche for my first term at university in 1977, and to me it epitomised the feeling of being a newly-independent young woman: cool, strong, confident. It's connected in my mind with 'Cosmopolitan' magazine, in the days when it assumed its readership had a certain level of intelligence. I haven't tried the new Rive Gauche, and I daresay it's perfectly pleasant, but I think it's sad when an old perfume is meddled with. It means that nostalgics like me have one less opportunity to take a sniff at a perfume counter and be transported back to a particular place and time.

No matter how good a masetro may be where in this case, I believed was during Tom Ford's realm, something is better left un-touched no matter what Midas touches tbat person has.

Another sad case of tweaking that gone worng as with most classic which is very sad indeed.

I would rather they just simply create another flanker and leave the original formulations intact as it is.

No matter how goos a person is, sometimes it is simply just not good enough.

No matter how good a masetro may be where in this case, I believed was during Tom Ford's realm, something is better left un-touched no matter what Midas touches tbat person has.

Another sad case of tweaking that gone worng as with most classic which is very sad indeed.

I would rather they just simply create another flanker and leave the original formulations intact as it is.

No matter how goos a person is, sometimes it is simply just not good enough.

Even being a man, I had a bottle of this perfume and I have to say something about it: Rive Gauche is the perfume for a determined, free and independent person (especially women). Its blue, silverplated and black bottle, became an indispensable accessory of fashion.
The fragrance combines coolness and smoothness. It is a floral perfume for people who don't feal fear of living life completely. It brings to the memory souvenirs of the left edge of the Sena, in Paris, in full autumn, with Brancusi, Lèger, Picasso…
Powerful perfume of highest lasting. Peace of art in the Perfume's world!

Maybe it seems a bit weird, but I read in a magazine that this is Kate Moss's favourite parfum. I have no clue, if that's right, but it gave me the impulse to smell the scent behind that funny bottle. Yes, I think, it's a funny bottle: totally inappropriate for such a scent. But that, in combination with the distinguished and gentle smell, made it even more attractive to me. I think it's quite a peril to invent a parfum concept like this, but it seems to work.

i had this one from my aunt , i don't know why? because is for a mature , maybe old woman .....it's classy,old and strong ...i don't like it

I have been wearing Rive Gauche for years! From time to time I think I "need or want" a change, but I always come back to it! My day doesn't start fully until I have put it on. Just feel incomplete or let's say....naked(?) without it! When I go out my choice is Dior's Hypnotic Poison. Bought Opium for that reason a few years ago, but it just made me feel a bit sick.

This was my first 'grown-up' perfume which I bought on a school trip to Paris, aged 15. The smell reminds me of sailing down the Seine on a Bateaux Mouche on a freezing February evening!

It's true: the reformulation does not do justice to the original. I wore Rive Gauche for a while a long time ago, and finally got sick of it., yet I still appreciate its unique character. I have about 1/4 left in an old bottle and was able to compare the new and old side-by-side (left arm, right arm). What is unique about the original is that it manages to be fresh and heavy at the same time. The rose dominates, yet I discern other notes especially green notes, each clear and distinct. In the new Rive Gauche, all the notes blend in a nondescript floral mush. There is nothing unpleasant about it, but nothing special, either. While I no longer want to wear it, i miss the gutsy, classic Rive Gauche!

Epilogue; I washed off both arms, but the old formula RG refuses to go away! Now that's the tenacious beauty I remember!

The bottle design was and is still a favorite of mine!

It's a sentimental walk down memory lane with this BoHo chic scent of the 70's, however, the recreation of this classic is disappointing. The previous incarnation was an organic, free spirit scent emitting the silvery dusty feeling from the aldehydes mixed with two of my favorite blossoms, gardenia and magnolia which created an aura of peace. The harmony and strength I feel has been lost in the 2003 version.

I loved the fact that the initial aldehydic, metallic blast was almost intolerable. I find the reformulation BLAH.

For the record, I am not reform-phobic; I love both the original and new Senso by Ungaro, and all the versions of Joy and Chanel #5. Without the shattering aldehydes, Rive Gauche is not itself...

BTW, if you enjot RG (by Jaques Polge & Michael Hy), try Calandre by Paco Rabanne. It was created a year prior in '69, by the same perfumer (Hy), and was a very similar and groundbreaking 70s scent.

I have never owned a bottle of the original Rive Gauche, but I just today received a bottle of the newer version and have been wearing the scent all evening. It had a disconcerting opening note, sort of moldy-floral, but now the scent reminds me of Chanel No. 19 and Calandre, both of which I adore. It is also very much its own scent: a little old-fashioned, a little modern, neither sweet nor tart, and elegant in a way that so few non-niche scents seem to be these days. Very nice.

well...well...where can i begin....i am speechless when it comes to rive gauche...it's simply perfect...at least for me...it makes me happy optimistic and delighted...i know it's weird i never thought a perfume would affect my feelings and emotions that much...but it's true...rive gauche can comletely change my mood...it's perfect for everyday use in winter and fall especially on rainy cloudy days and for special occasions in summer and spring since it's kinda strong and heavy for hot and warm weather....

Nice one! It is quiet, stays close to skin but lasts a long time. I'd say its like a perfume containing masculine notes which are well softened and added a feminine beauty by a woman who carries it.

I tried this 'Rive Gauche' immediatelly after YSL 'Y' and it rendered the first one in a better light.. not as bad as 'Y', but the same smell group for me - unwearable

I hope I will never have to smell this again... I went to wash my wrist, but no, it stayed there the whole day, so tumbs up for staying power. My collegue bought it through internet without knowing what it would like, trusted the review. We were both shocked...blee. I could smell nothing but cinnamon the whole time and it was so strong that I couldnt get rid of headache.

When I was a kid, my mom belonged to a 'beauty club' via mail, and this came in one of her kits. I wore this in my teen years and felt very sophisticated! I would love to be reacquainted w/ this to see if I have the same feelings for it!

Gentle, powdery and soft, but stands out from other perfumes. Classy and one of my all time favourite alltouhgt the huge number of old and new fascinating scents. This one is always good to come back.

A very classic floral aldehyde, the top note is so fresh and the finish is so "French", really. It's elegant, and very well-done, altough it seems to be simple and right for everyday use. However, I have a problem with this: in a few hours it becomes rather similar on my skin to Moschino's Cheap & Chic which I don't like at all:(

Suitable for wearing it during the day and for evening. This gentle, feminine powdery scent is one of my favourite. It is old fashioned in a way, but I like it

I'd rate this 3.5 lippies. I'm not sure which version I sampled but I really enjoyed Rive Gauche. This is a very classic type of fragrance. It seems to have an oaky powdery finish. It makes me think of a cool day & warm quilts but, also reminds me of cashmere & pearls too. It really is a fragrance that you could wear anytime. It's soft and casual enough for office wear, but sophisicated enough for formal times. Rive Gauche lasts quite awhile on the skin too; about 6 hours. I don't think I will purchase a bottle, as I have similar scents. Nevertheless this is a very well done scent.

My mom used to wear it in the 80s. They have reformulated the scent. It is still a lovely aldehyde.