Y (1964)
by Yves Saint Laurent

I have the parfum and the edp versions of Y.

ELEGANT ELEGANT ELEGANT!!!!!!

The first opening blast I get peach and stop and think Mitsuoko. Then the moss and woods come through and Y tranforms into its own creation. I wear Y and I feel feminine and oh so lady like. Others think it is unisex but for me chypres and especially Y are just pure femininity.

My goodness, this is probably the worst smell ever. My husband walked into the room after I had sprayed it and asked what that awful smell was. Can't see how anyone could wear this.

Another scent I know from childhood! I distinctly remember a friend of my parents wearing this, a typical haute bourgeois lady: smart, affable and stylish. In short, not a fragrance for young women (maybe with exception of the ones who know what they are doing.)

Peach is pivotal in Y but with a slightly weird note giving it an intriguing unnatural aspect. The peach is also the main reason why I disagree with those who see in Y a potential unisex (it also has “that Perfume smell” of traditional female fragrances, although not as prominent as some but you’ll never mistake it for something that came out last week.) Sillage is good and longevity as with nearly all YSL scents is outstanding.

Y possesses a modern spirit, not as it’s often misused on Basenotes (new, dictated by current fashions…and bogus) but as a promise of optimism, wide-eyed intelligence, sleekness. So it makes total sense as the first Yves Saint Laurent fragrance. Good office scent and apparently not well-known.

Hmmm, I really wanted to like this perfume, the notes soundly exactly like what i would love....what I got was an old-fashion blast at first spray, pungent and chemical. The middle and base are floral-powdery, not unpleasant, but they don't lift me to ecstatic heights either. I don't get much "green" at all, and the florals are musty and "perfumey", not fresh and heady like most modern florals. The drydown is sweet, though powdery, but it wasn't worth the wait. On the whole, not disagreeable, but not something I would buy again, and will likely swap my bottle away if anyone's interested.

A delightful and discreet chypre, that provides a considerable impact without ever becoming obtrusive. An apparently simple construction, one can detect the pivotal influence of the rose, which provides the fulcrum on which this entire fragrance balances so beautifully. Having been formulated during a time where longevity was a necessity, this ticks every box that you can possibly put before it.

I can't believe it took me so long to try this fragrance. After two-and-a-half years of reading about it and wondering, I finally got my hands on this nostalgic little blend. It is unique. To me, Y starts out as a spring floral, and, if it had a color, it would be yellow-green. Images of forsythia bushes in bloom come to mind. The scent is predominantly honeysuckle and other spring flowers, with a strong component of green and some peachiness and happy citrus. While Chamade is springtime and fruit trees in bloom, full of powdery pollen, Y is springtime and flowering hedgerows in the suburbs. It is powerful, in the manner of fragrances when perfumes were perfumes, and nobody had to make excuses about wearing one. In that respect, you get your money's worth when buying this fragrance. But it isn't a rude strength--no animalics, no bazaar spices, no chemicals. And, here's the best part, the drydown grows dry. The oakmoss is elegant, stepping forth and giving classiness to the entire composition. My only complaint, and one that makes it unsuitable for becoming a regular in my wardrobe, is that it is too soapy and clean overall. It is similar to vintage Vent Vert, which which I prefer becasue it lacks the soapinss. (But you can't find vintage Vent Vert anymore.) Y is a well-composed perfume in the classic manner.