It was one way for Saint Laurent to make the world beyond fashion sit up and boggle: a vast, spotlight-projecting, stadium-size box, slap-bang opposite the Eiffel Tower. The design of the temporary architecture, built to illuminate the public space in a spectacle no tourist or passer-by could possibly miss, seemed to project the inside-out frequency of Saint Laurent’s communication on the global stage. This was no mere show space designed for the protected eyes of the privileged few. It hulked on the night skyline, emitting rays and vapor like something between a concert venue and scene out of a sci-fi series: a thrill for the Stranger Things generation, brought to life.
So, too, were the clothes. Anthony Vaccarello has an uncompromising consistency in putting over his message: legs as far as the eye could see; black leather shorts; big-shouldered ’80s dresses lopped off to swimsuit length; enough skinny-jeaned rock star boys to fill a tour bus. He is exclusively on the side of the young, a brand warrior in the global corporate fashion war to capture the attention of everyone below the age of 25.
Or so it would seem. Nevertheless, as the successor to Hedi Slimane’s conversion of Saint Laurent into a brand powerhouse, Vaccarello has the same ability to conceal far more broadly attractive pieces in his collection than first meets the eye. What his no-bottoms silhouettes conspire to draw the eye to are the boots: regular black ankle boots with a silver buckle, a new chunky platform shape (boot of the season), and then glamorous fur-cuffed suede stiletto knee boots. And the tops! Disguised within the dark, dense layers of this collection were vast numbers of jackets, shirts, and blouses for both genders. Far off and difficult to see in the blinding spotlight of the massive walkway, up close, there proved to be riches in tailored black leather, velvet, embroidery, tassels, and fringed trimmings.
It was a long show—lengthened not just by Vaccarello’s decision to plonk his menswear collection (with its skinny panne and crushed velvet ’70s suits) right in the middle, but also to add a colorful, glittery evening addendum to the collection. In all? From the on-trend head wraps to the footwear, there was more than plenty here to keep Saint Laurent powering on at retail. And whisper it: Among all those jackets, tops, and lean coats lies a plethora of choice for older sophisticates as well.
