Anthony Vaccarello, who pioneered fashion shows that deliver a memorable silhouette or unmissable theme — sheer, safari, tube dressing, big shoulders — loosened up for spring.
He explored multiple moods to reflect the complex Saint Laurent woman: confident in a slouchy, mannish suit and tie one day; bohemian the next in flowing tunics and pajama pants the next, and then extravagant at night in flashy brocade jackets with big jeweled buttons and lace-trimmed miniskirts.
The show was unapologetically old-fashioned in its embrace of specific looks for specific times of the day, and in its flagrant references of the ’80s and early ’90s.
To be sure, one felt the style of house founder Yves Saint Laurent himself in the double-breasted suits, just as he wore them, and the freewheeling nonchalance of his muse Loulou de la Falaise in the paisley layers, cropped jackets and long chunky necklaces.
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“I wanted to mix it up,” Vaccarello said just before the show. “Saint Laurent is a ready-to-wear house, known for its jackets, for its suits — real pieces of everyday life. And I wanted to pay homage this season.”
The display unfurled in the courtyard of Saint Laurent’s headquarters on Rue de Bellechasse, decked out with Yves Klein blue flooring, a gilded oval canopy and, unfortunately, vast puddles thanks to steady rain that delayed the promised prompt start, had the PRs panicking, and editors grumbling on their damp black leather Mies van der Rohe stools.
Backstage, Vaccarello — who usually erects a monstrous pavilion at the foot of the Eiffel Tower — said he wished to spare Parisians from yet another disruptive construction project near a historic monument after the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games shut off Place de la Concorde, Invalides, Trocadero and other scenic spots.
There was a richness to this collection — in fabrication, color and ornamentation — that has been lacking at Saint Laurent lately. Before the show, one guest feared the models would catch cold on this damp and chilly night, yet they were far more covered up versus the nearly naked hosiery collection for fall 2024.
Like the founder, Vaccarello hung his menswear-inspired silhouettes from substantial shoulders — on meaty leather blousons, handsome trenchcoats and those wedge-shaped tailored jackets. Pants were so high-waisted that neckties were tucked in like the pinstriped dress shirts.
The flowing paisley chiffon skirts, tiered and trailing, were a welcome relief to the onslaught of pantsuits, as were the richly colored brocades, metallic lace blouses and two-tone miniskirts.
To further underscore the multiplicity of the YSL woman, Vaccarello named each of the 49 looks after the first names of “a special group of models with whom the house has forged lasting relationships.” Some were in the front row that night, including Betty (Catroux) and Carla (Bruni). Others you had to imagine: Katoucha, Bettina, Dovima and Iman.
