Yves Saint Laurent closed the second day of Paris Fashion Week with a runway show overlooking the base of the Eiffel tower.
Last night, Yves Saint Laurent put on a show in front of a sparkling Eiffel Tower, which has become something of a tradition for the house. A floral appliqué brooch on a mannish coat here, sleeves pulled up to make room for stacks of big chunky silver and gold bangles there: the display was a paean to the power of great styling. It was also an exercise in covered-up sensuality that felt refined and grown up, which was unexpected from Saint Laurent. Creative director Anthony Vaccarello created dinner and dancing-ready attire (with with the jackets to get you from cab to bar) for ladies who don’t want to flash their flesh in the cold, while other designers were embracing micro hemlines and party-ready sequins post-pandemic.
Vaccarello digs into art deco style and spirit, focusing specifically on the clothing of radical activist publisher Nancy Cunard, who is noted for her masculine-feminine silhouette. This culminates in a modernised version for 2022, starting with gauzy dresses wrapped in shell-like outerwear and reviving masculine staples like pea coats, large leather trench-coats, and maximised Perfecto blousons. Honestly, almost every model wore a dramatic coat or jacket, all enhanced by skinny, strappy sparkly sandals.
This is followed by sportier lines, such as leggings worn as pants and contrasted with chunky furs; the nightly affair is concluded by tuxedos and slouchy suits, complete with choppy Garçonne haircuts – echoing YSL’s then outrageously innovative Le Smoking suits.
Vaccarello reinvents la Parisienne somewhere between working woman and party girl, all with a delicate hint of Gucci-era Tom Ford and reinterpreted for the local underworld.
An eerie electro soundtrack from French DJ Sebastian and a subdued colour palette of blacks, browns, and greys enhanced the collection’s seriousness – albeit seriously elegant and glam.