In this post we want to share our experience on what to look for when it comes to purchasing a vintage Yves Saint Laurent bag. We have divided some examples into decades, starting from the 1970s, and ending with few contemporary examples as well. As always, do feel free to ask for suggestions or advice by emailing us, or with through our “live chat”.
A little history:
From Oran, Algeria, of Alsatian descent, Mr. Saint Laurent left its hometown to study art in Paris in 1953 at age 17.
Two years later at age 19 he was introduced to Christian Dior, who hired him immediately as his design assistant in 1954-1957.
Yves Saint Laurent was brilliant at visualizing things early with a heightened awareness, interpreting the mood of the world, not just the street, and turning his vision into designs that people want.
Drawing influences from history, art, and literature, he is famous for his 1958 trapeze line for Dior, then under his company: the “Mondrian” dress, “the smoking” suit (based on a man’s tuxedo with satin lapel), the Safari look, military styles, the costumes he designed for actress Catherine Deneuve in Belle de Jour, the 1976 collection inspired by the Ballets Russes, and the ready-to-wear collections based on Carmen, 1976, which included 300 numbers and ran for over three hours.
With its unique style, Yves Saint Laurent definitely defined the way 20th century women dressed.
As we always do, our primary aim with this blog post is to share with you our knowledge and experience when it comes to vintage and more recent YSL accessories.
As we know, YSL has been rebranded to Saint Laurent about 5 years ago, so some of the pictures you will come across in this blog post will feature some more recent bags with “Saint Laurent” logos and hardware.
1970s
Iconic YSL striped brown on gray pattern, which is brought to life in recent and upcoming collections. YSL gold print on internal leather tag, and YSL monograms over internal canvas lining.
Gorgeous Small suede messenger bag, with gold metal heart finish on the front. Printed YVES SAINT LAURENT logo inside. No serial.
1980s
Red canvas and blue leather messenger. Very common YSL gold metal hardware finish on the side. YSL monogram on internal canvas.
Brown leather plain messenger bag. YSL hardware and internal logo on a gold metal plate.
1990s
Cosmetic Clutch from the early 1990s. Notice the PKK metal zippers, and the YSL gold metal zipper pull. Take a look at the internal logo printed on the leather tag inside.
Canvas Bowler Shoulder Bag. YSL gold metal logo on the front, and gold metal plate inside. No serial.
2000s and over
Here’s a recent Clutch Portfolio bag, in green and black canvas. A clear view of its internal gold metal logo, and its interlocking front logo.
Gold tone leather “Metallic” Hobo Bag. With 12 digit (xxxxxx-xxxxxx) serial, and YSL Rive Gauche leather print logo inside
Beautiful satin evening “Rive Gauche” bag. Here you can see its 12 digit serial number, just over the “made in Italy” logo. Both printed inside its internal pocket.
Pony Hair, “St Tropez” Bag, another Rive Gauche YSL. Again, 12 digit serial and YSL rive gauche gold printed logo on the internal leather small flap (just over magnetic button closure).
MOMBASA Leather Bag: Authenticated by our friends at Entrupy. Pre-owned, with some light wear, but still in great shape. This bag has a 11 digit (xxxxx-xxxxxx) serial number.
Cassandre Clutch Bag: Simply GORGEOUS. In our opinion this is one of the most beautiful and elegant bags of recent fashion. You can take a look at the cards which you should find when you purchase a second hand bag like this one. Have a close look at it’s internal logo as well.
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36 Responses
ESTHER ANG NEE
08 . 10 . 2019Hi there! I have one 70s’ stripped brown handbag, would like to know the price.
Regards, Esther from Malaysia
Marco Operti
17 . 10 . 2019Hi Esther! feel free to post a picture and I will see if I can give you any price references.
Megan
05 . 12 . 2019Hi! I am looking to Authenticate my Vintage YSL bag. What is your professional opinion? Thanks
Marco Operti
06 . 12 . 2019I will be happy to explain in full if you send us an email request at info@ophertyciocci.com
Alicia
04 . 02 . 2020I would like to know the model and make of my YSL bag. I can not find it online or see a number anywhere.
It seems vintage and has velvet lining.
Marco Operti
04 . 02 . 2020Hi Alicia, feel free to send us some pictures with WhatsApp or email, and we will be happy to give you an opinion, since we cannot provide authentications without having the bag here with us.
Regards
Marco
Leah
09 . 02 . 2020Hi I wanted to purchase this vintage ysl bag I’m unsure what year it was made in but wanted to know if it is authentic how can I send you photos
Marco Operti
09 . 02 . 2020Hi Leah, you can send us a few pictures through WhatsApp or email, you can find us through our boutique homepage (www.ophertyciocci.com). We cannot provide authentications without having the bag on hand, but will be happy to give you an opinion.
Teleah Carpenter
09 . 02 . 2020Okay I will send photos for a opinion I would greatly appreciate it
Teleah Carpenter
09 . 02 . 2020I have sent photos through whatsapp
Julie Hinaloc
11 . 04 . 2020I have a similar bag like the thumbnail of this article
Is that a legitimate YSL bag?
Marco Operti
11 . 04 . 2020Hi! Yes, I confirm OURS is a geuine vintage Yves Saint Laurent bag.
M
28 . 04 . 2020Hi! I have a small YSL Kate monogram bag that I got as a gift. The YSL logo seems to be a one off/seasonal make. Can you help verify it’s authenticity, please? Thank you!
Marco Operti
28 . 04 . 2020Hi Mona, with contemporary/runaway bags I think your best bet would be a certificated authentication. We offer this kind of services using the best authentication services around. I would be glad to offer such service to you, but you would need to ship it to Italy, and then we will need to have it shipped back (expensive turnaround).
M
29 . 04 . 2020Thanks for the quick response! I don’t think it’s a contemporary piece. I’ve seen it online, it’s the YSL monogram with the parallel L (I can provide pictures, if that can help.) Thanks!
Marco Operti
29 . 04 . 2020You can send some pictures via email or whatsapp (ophertyciocci.com homepage, bottom right corner).
Jenna
29 . 05 . 2020Hi do all vintage bags have serial numbers?
Marco Operti
29 . 05 . 2020Hi Jenna! The answer to your question is NO. Many vintage bags of many designers do not have serial numbers, for many reasons.
Sharm
12 . 07 . 2020Hi! I’m planning to buy a vintage YSL bag from the marketplace, but I’m not sure if it’s authentic. How can I check its authenticity?
Marco Operti
12 . 07 . 2020Hi Sharm, I would definitely ask for a proof of authentication, such as a certificate released from a third party authenticator.
We work with Entrupy, they supervise our items and release certificates of authenticity on demand, for designer items.
We are always 100% sure of the items we have on sale, this is done for customer further trust, and it also increases the value of the purchase – you may use this certificate if you will ever want to resell your pre-loved bag.
Another way would be to purchase it and then authenticate it once the bag is received. I can send you a coupon for another authentication service with whom we collaborate, which offers such survives.
Lisa
14 . 07 . 2020I found a wallet recently I beleive is Authentic from the 70’s. Any thoughts?
Marco Operti
14 . 07 . 2020Hi Lisa! Have you already sent us an email?
Jill
15 . 07 . 2020Hi! I’m so glad i found this site. I just wanna know if there is a possibility that the bag is authentic even though it doesn’t have a mark or engraved on the magnetic buttons? Thank you!
Jill
15 . 07 . 2020Hi! I’m glad i found this site. I just wanna know if there is a possibility that the bag is authentic even though there is no engraved brand on the magnetic buttons? Thank u
Marco Operti
15 . 07 . 2020Hi Jill. send me an email I a will try and help or forward you to professional authenticators.
Helena Hughes
21 . 08 . 2020Hello I have a three colour large bag with a clipper magnet and it has the letter L on it and below it says Laurent in fancy stencils please help with the year and price kind regards
Marco Operti
24 . 08 . 2020Hi Helena, share some pictures please.
HibiscusLime
26 . 08 . 2020I appreciate the variants shown here!
Do all YSL wallets(small and medium) have serial codes stamped inside?
Marco Operti
26 . 08 . 2020The most appropriate answer to this question, according to our experience, is NO – not all YSL vintage wallets have serial codes stamped inside.
Michelle Paris
14 . 09 . 2020Hello! I have what may be a vintage YSL bag. Could you point me in a direction of someone that could help authenticate it? I just don’t have enough knowledge about these bags. Thanks!
Claire Thomson
22 . 09 . 2020Hi, I was wanting to check the authenticity of my YSL bag. Would you be able to check the serial number?
Thank you
Marco Operti
04 . 11 . 2020No, we don’t provide such services. I can suggest an authentication service, and will be happy to provide a discount coupon for it, if you are willing to authenticate the item.
Wai
04 . 11 . 2020Hi,
There is a ysl cabas chyc bag that I would like to buy through online. What are the things that I should look out for if I am unsure about the authenticity? Is checking the serial no sufficient? Thank you!
Wai, malaysia
Marco Operti
04 . 11 . 2020It could well be “sufficient”, but many times it is not enough. Try and look up for the seller. Read what comes out from feedbacks, ratings, google history. Take us, for example: we do business since 20+ years, and you can check out all our ratings from our website. If I were a buyer, I would rely more trust from a experienced seller than from a seller I’ve never heard of.
That said, ask for authentication. There are several professional and reliable ways of certifying vintage or second hand items, and professional sellers should offer these kind of services, no matter if paid for, or complementary. This is extremely important. We work closely with a least 2 worldwide leaders in authentication services, and may provide certificates for all the items we sell.
Wai
04 . 11 . 2020Thank you for your reply marco! But for the authentication service, can it be done through pictures or need to have the bag physically examined?
Marco Operti
04 . 11 . 2020Just sent you an email.