“I never gave up on being dressed, even when the trend was about sportswear,” says Saint Laurent’s Anthony Vaccarello of his fall women’s collection, the until-now-unseen curtain raiser to his epic Paris by way of Belgium barnstormer of a winter show, presented earlier this year. “I am glad that people want to dress up again, because for me nothing has changed.”
Never let it be said that Vaccarello doesn’t have unerring instincts. When the rest of the world was letting it all hang out while being holed up at home, he was showing hyper-colored tweedy suits dripping with jewels on an icy tundra redolent of Game of Thrones, or had marabou and pop-floral chiffon marching across a vast Sahara-like vista; big themes, big landscapes, big drama. In their way they were as much paeans to hope for the future as statements of intent about how you might want to dress in the present.
Except change was to a degree part of the narrative: Vaccarello also took on board the prevailing desire for comfort and ease, he just didn’t do it in the obvious, cliched or—heaven forbid—un-YSL of ways; there were modern compact jerseys and fluid silks to move in and to feel free in. This fall collection builds on that as much as planting the seeds for the aforementioned winter, which he describes as “lots of volumes, more rounded shapes, a bit of Art Deco, a bit ’90s and a bit of Poiret.” His trick is to take all of that and work it through some of the classic Saint Laurent-isms. The columnar line for evening that Yves loved so much now looks perfect for daytime, partnered with a tough belted leather jacket and an armful of bangles. The iconic le smoking also makes it to the other side of the dawn, as an eased up suit, a cape, or a sharp-shouldered coat.
Those are just some of the strong outerwear statements on show here: oversized faux furs, cozily chic but with a casual flick-the-collar-up attitude; voluminous-shouldered cocoon coats and nifty leather trenches thrown over some particularly ravishing slithery lingerie slip dresses, a hint of romanticism given by their guipure or frothy lace edges. Finishing all this off: stretch velvet high-heeled boots; gilt-trimmed square-toed pumps, an update on the Roger Vivier design of yore; and frame topped handbags, their elegance making a strong case for perhaps finally giving up on capacious bags which received wisdom says are more practical, but really, take a look inside—how much are you lugging around you don’t really need?
But back to what you might need—or want, or desire. Fashion’s winners these days are the names and labels and brands who’re walking the tightrope while balancing Big Fashion Statement, what we used to call The Dream, and an undeniable grounding in reality. Vaccarello is walking that pretty nimbly these days, getting on with it and also getting the kind of numbers for the house which suggests it’s really connecting. Like I said: Instincts.
