This is what a few people thought YSL stood for at my school. It was along the lines of what people believed Adidas and NafNaf stood for. Maximum points for creativity but zero for accuracy.

I read an interview recently that contained a question to the interviewee, asking what was the first designer item she owned. I guess people see this as a watershed moment. It got me thinking about my own experience.

I had an inate interest in clothes every since my 9th birthday party. I had the coolest t shirt that had a crocodile with a comb and a mirror, and above it, it said ‘snappy dresser’. I never had expensive clothes but I looked after them.

It wasn’t until ~16 when I started to see designer brands. Ralph Lauren jackets were in vogue in the 90’s and I even had a hustle selling them at school. My mum knew a guy at the market who could supply them. There was a thing about counting the visible legs on the polo horse to identify if it was legit merchandise. None of it was of course. 

Ben Sherman shirts were a marker of style in the mid 90’s although they were never stylish. Well made sure, but a bit stuffy. Like all brands, they had a renaissance after much success in the 60’s.

Despite having a few ‘moody’ YSL shirts at 16, my part time job at the Co-op allowed me to save for my first real version. I remember going to a department store called Alders, and picking up a lovely burgundy shirt, that felt different to the moody cotton ones we were all wearing. I paired it with a double-breasted black coat and I was set.

By 17 I was wearing Paul Smith trousers and my black coat to work. Never before or since has a part time Co-op worker looked so stylish. 

YSL and Ralph Lauren came to be known at my school organically. The brand and the reputation making its way by word of mouth. I remember reading about Yves at a young age and finding his world fascinating. Fashion at the high end, remains a fantasy world that transports you from the mundane to the surreal.

Good memories, and a nice nostalgic journey. I can see all the shirts and all the people from school. I pray they are all in legit designer clothes today. 

Me? A born again Christian Dior…