The 2010s YSL Piece I'm Obsessed With
The Arty necklace, cuff and of course...ring.
Lately, I can’t stop thinking about a YSL piece of a certain era. She is chunky, colorful, baroque, free-spirited, and wildly distinctive. And if you were around in the 2010s, you will almost certainly remember her: the Yves Saint Laurent Arty Ring (and the necklace and bracelet cuffs from the same collection). Endlessly reblogged on Tumblr, the YSL Arty ring was often seen wrapped around the finger of an it-girl with a Starbucks cup and neon nails.
When I was a college student I bought one at Beacon’s Closet right next to my school (Parsons) for $75. I really couldn’t tell if it was authentic or not, but I loved it and wore it to shreds.
In terms of fashion history, one might just call the Yves Saint Laurent Arty Ring one of the most influential pieces of costume jewelry in the 21st century (so far, at least).
One of the most interesting things is how unmistakable it was during its era—all without a logo. Consider it the jewelry version of the Balenciaga City bag. It was that ubiquitous and coveted, and has the same kind of lasting appeal that I think will only increase. It originally retailed for $250, which made it more affordable than a designer bag or pair of shoes. It was the ultimate gateway entry into the brand. Multiple colors and limited edition options were released, which sold out instantly. Fashion insiders wore it in street style shots, but Kim Kardashian, Alexa Chung and Beyoncé also donned the wonderfully maximalist eccentric YSL Arty Ring. It’s had such a wide influence. In researching it, I came across multiple recent nostalgic tributes to it on Instagram.
Now, all these years later, seeing the YSL Arty ring on resale sites everywhere, I can’t help but notice how good it still looks. In April, I bought the necklace (pictured above—which is super hard to find). It’s the perfect combination of ultra thick, gilded gold plating with the chunky, splashy color of the big and tiny enameled and resin stones scattered throughout. The texture of the gold plating takes cues from 1960s - 1970s brutalist fine jewelry, and the ring itself is so large, it takes up ample finger space and makes a statement. Aesthetically, it looks a little bit like something Daniel Roseberry would do for Schiaparelli, without the price tag. (Most of the Arty rings secondhand are priced less than $200.) It’s also the opposite of the highly sanitized, personality-less mainstream jewelry that has been dominating luxury trends these past few years. Arty lives up to its name; it’s bulky, organic and a little bit weird.
The YSL Arty ring reportedly launched around 2009 - 2010, under creative director Stefano Pilati, and was discontinued in 2013. With Hedi Slimane joining the brand in 2012, it’s no surprise: the colorful, ultra-feminine, boho, maximalist piece was opposite of the alignment of Slimane’s look. Pilati often looked to more eccentric, global, historical references for his work. In a 2008 New York Times profile that I highly recommend reading, he buys the tribal Bedouin sandals that a random Moroccan man was wearing in the streets of Paris, directly off his feet, for inspiration, with the reporter present. Obviously, with Pilati’s history of working at Prada and Miu Miu pre his Yves Saint Laurent years, we have a soft spot for his aesthetic.
YSL has a unique and vast history when it comes to costume jewelry. The man himself once reportedly said, “I’d like to imagine that [costume] jewels are more spiritual than real rubies or diamonds,” in 1954. I also wouldn’t be surprised if Saint Laurent decided to re-release the Arty ring in the future. After all, this season’s earrings (I want them all, but especially the extremely oversized ones) heavily reference the label’s vintage styles. Current creative director Anthony Vaccarello loves taking inspiration from the brand’s archives and he does it in a really appealing way. The coin earrings in particular (below) are almost identical.
Left: YSL current season coin earrings. Right: YSL vintage earrings, OR stud version.
Here are my favorite Yves Saint Laurent Arty pieces to shop secondhand right now:
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