Paris Fashion Week is in full swing, and we have seen some incredible collections and shows. For dedicated followers you know that Saint Laurent is always one of the shows that pulls out all the stops. It’s always a fabulous affair, and the clothing is equally stunning. Taking place beneath a glittering Eiffel Tower, Saint Laurent’s SS/23 collection was more intimate and took inspiration from the house’s archives.
The show was everything Saint Laurent is synonymous with: luxe Parisian chic. While orchestral music set the mood models walked the marble steps in a collection that was defined by radical fluidity and expressed through silk jersey knits. Floor-length dresses reveal elegant ease. These were balanced with masculine outerwear that was classic Vaccarello – woollen coats with strong shoulders, leather bombers and trenches.
If there was a defining element. It was the silky tubular sheath (yes, the kind that Martha Graham wore for the 1930 choreography Lamentation). The sheath enveloped the body from head-to-toe and provided a profound visual impact. The hood is featured on almost every look; in the same way, it appears throughout Saint Laurent’s archives repeatedly. These hooded capuche pieces from the 1980s established a key motif for the brand – and served here as a crucial point of reference for Vaccarello as he looked to combine the ultra-refined, elongated silhouette of last season with an essential attitude.
The colour pallet was muted but at the same time definitive. Taken from the brands archives from Polaroid shots of fittings back then, purples, soft browns, camel, olive, and taupe reigned through the collection. For footwear, models wore sandals and pumps with high-cut vamps in metallic shades.
Essentially the collection was about the now. Even when Vaccarello references the past, his collections are driven by the present, and we’re here for that.Â
