–SPECIAL– "Yves Saint Laurent rive gauche" 90’s Rive gauche le smoking tuxedo jacket

Among Yves Saint Laurent’s works that redefined the concept of prêt-à-porter in the 1960s, we present an iconic and special piece—one that captures the very air of the Left Bank of Paris in its garments, from drive gauche.

The main label of the Red Square Riv Gauche—set with a red square on a black satin-like woven fabric—makes a quiet statement, and you can see the Maison’s origin and conviction carried through to the very end, even in the specification where the weaving of MADE IN FRANCE runs along the far left edge.

The base design is inspired by a tuxedo jacket in the spirit of Le Smoking: the sharply rising peak lapels delicately refine the shadows at the chest, while the minimalist one-button front emphasizes vertical lines—so simply putting it on makes your posture look poised and dignified.

The fabric is a stretch wool blend of 98% wool and 2% elastane. As a result, it maintains a classic appearance while offering slight responsiveness to movement—making it especially appealing for those who want to translate the structural beauty of a tuxedo into everyday wear.

On the front, flap pockets are arranged neatly on both sides, and the angled flap edges are designed to make the waistline appear higher. Therefore, even without resorting to excessive embellishment, the overall level of style is elevated. The cuffs feature three aligned buttons; by choosing decorative rather than functioning “true” sleeve vents, the piece strikes a balance that prioritizes ease of handling while still following formal tailoring etiquette.

On the back, the center seam runs cleanly, and it lets the beauty of the uninterrupted panel speak for itself by avoiding unnecessary color blocking. When it catches the light, the richness of the black gradually shifts, and even with a women’s size 40 designation, it comes to life with a refined, unisex mood—imbuing it with the kind of universality worthy of MOOD’s special collection.

As for why this piece can be regarded as late 1990s, a major reason is that the domestic distributor label is listed as Sankyō Shōji. In addition to the fact that there is no indication of the post–2000 group transition labeling, the tag design of the Red Square adopted in the late 1990s, as well as the stretch wool blend ratio that was popular at the time, all align—so it is positioned with high credibility as a piece from around 1997 to 1999.

That historical, perfectly refined form of Le Smoking remains in place just before it would be repainted into the excitement of a new era, and the fact that evidence of a transitional period—indicated by “Made in France” and the distributor listing—coexists within a single garment are added values you simply cannot reach with an ordinary black jacket.

For styling, the most beautiful approach is to continue the tuxedo context straightforwardly by pairing it with drapey dress trousers and a tailored shirt; if you want to loosen the look slightly, simply adding a high-quality T-shirt and a minimal leather belt also lets the black’s strong silhouette take the spotlight. If you enjoy it in a genderless way, pairing it with straight skirts or simple midi-length bottoms to align the vertical lines will further highlight the jacket’s tailored construction.

Please take this opportunity.