Illuminated by the lights on the left bank of the Seine and glimpsed under the Eiffel Tower, Saint Laurent girls in tailleur-jupe suits and dresses embark on a train to the 80s and instantly travel into midnight Paris belonging to Saint Laurent's glamorous era.
In early spring in northern France, Saint Laurent's 2023 womenswear collection for winter 2023, led by creative director Anthony Vaccarello, returns to its home turf, Paris by night.
Saint Laurent's 2023 Winter Womenswear collection, which appeared at night, is still located next to the Eiffel Tower, creating a black-box installation space in the middle of Wassovi Square. Creative Director Anthony Vaccarello recreates the Grand Intercontinental Ballroom, the scene of the fashion house's haute couture show from 1975 to 2001, and adorns the porch with brilliant crystal bronze chandeliers, evoking the glamorous era of YSL to the rhythm of the piano.
The brand invited Chinese actor Wang Churan and artist Liu Lingzi to Paris to watch the show, respectively wearing wide-shouldered and floor-to-ceiling coats from Saint Laurent's 2023 summer women's collection, deeply interpreting the modern sexiness of Saint Laurent girls and the fierce and cold contemporary feminine style.
Wang Churan, Liu Lingzi
Before the big show began, Saint Laurent released three precious images on social media. The historical footage recreates footage from an interview with Catherine Deneuve, one of the greatest French actresses of the time, on the Yves Saint Laurent show in the '90s.
From the very beginning, Catherine Deneuve has been the brightest guest in the front row of the YSL runway and the most loyal advocate of Saint Laurent's aesthetic. Back in 1965, when Yves Saint Laurent and 22-year-old Catherine Deneuve met for the first time, they were fascinated by her unique charm and forged a deep friendship. Catherine Deneuve has since become the eternal muse of Yves Saint Laurent; On and off screen, YSL is Catherine Deneuve's unwavering stylistic choice.
Catherine Deneuve describes that season of Yves Saint Laurent as the embodiment of all of a woman's dreams. “It's easy. It’s sophisticated. "It's what you need for the day, what you'd dream to be for the night." ）”
Anthony Vaccarello shrewdly conveys the will of the season through muse flashbacks, which in just two sentences can be seen as a subtle note to Saint Laurent's 2023 womenswear collection.
Breaking through the fatal attraction of the times
In the retro intimate salon space, the thin silhouettes of Saint Laurent girls cut through the night, and the sharp toes of translucent stockings step on the straight to the end of the runway. This season, Anthony Vaccarello once again dives into the Fashion House Archives, distilling YSL's classic Le tailleur-jupe women's tailoring suit and skirt from the 80s, placing deep and elegant emotions in fashion, outlining cool and elegant feminine gestures that transcend gender boundaries.
The wide-shouldered suit that carries the season's signature elements debuted, and XXL's right-angled shoulder line and wrap pencil skirt form an atypical hourglass silhouette. The color scheme returns to the classic combination of black and white, with dense stripes distributed vertically on the sophisticated fabric, extending a strong visual tension vertically.
The unadulterated and wide suit has an inverted triangle shape, which is Anthony Vaccarello's transmutation of YSL's classic silhouette. The slim skirt does not fit snugly against the legs but leaves enough space for movement, and a blade-like sharp slit is cut in half of the skirt, starting from the fatal attraction of the female body and breaking through the shackles of traditional Officewear.
The large shawl covers the upper body, giving it a sassy and heroic appearance, and the three materials of tweed, tulle and leather are layered in folds, and finally tucked into the metal clasp of the ring at the shoulder, a hymn to the chivalry of postmodern feminism.
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From the hood designs for the 2023 summer womenswear collection to the knightly shawls that appear frequently this season, Anthony Vaccarello always seems to have a soft spot for classicist narratives. Saint Laurent girls don't have to be silhouettes of the night anymore, Anthony Vaccarello is empowering Saint Laurent with another calm and powerful brushstroke.
An elegant new edition of Saint Laurent
"Elegance" as a traditionally feminine adjective is rarely mentioned in contemporary Saint Laurent's designs, but this season Anthony Vaccarello chose to personalize it herself.
Beneath the angular suit of power, the delicate skin looms, and the shiny deep V vest seamlessly blends into YSL women's wardrobe, releasing the dual charm of rigidity and softness. As Anthony Vaccarello said, "The women of Saint Laurent can show when they want to show and hide if they want." ”
The tough leather biker jacket was easily taken off by the model, completing the silky switch from day to evening wear. A sleeveless shirt and a swinging pencil skirt combine to create a striking and elegant outfit. Freedom to walk between reason and sensibility is a gift of Saint Laurent women.
The fashion house's classic Le Smoking has been reconstructed into an anachronistic look, and the sleek silk shirts have been shaped into a powerful shoulder padded silhouette. The bow scarf on the side of the neckline is flowing, and the long silk scarf dragging behind you leaves a lingering charm, like the epitome of the lust of this romantic city.
The natural draped texture of silk transforms into a stage of light and shadow, and the floating light projected by the ornate chandelier is only used as a backdrop for Saint Laurent women. Anthony Vaccarello, a devoted author, is continuing the elegant new edition of Saint Laurent in the contemporary language of Sindaya.
A feast of flowing style
Anyone who knows current creative director Anthony Vaccarello will notice that he is particularly nostalgic, as evidenced by seasons of Saint Laurent's inspirational tributes.
Yves Saint Laurent's judgment of the female aesthetic was absolutely ahead of its time, and Anthony Vaccarello knows this even better. "I prefer to be cautious. I think I'm working for a fashion house and I don't feel like I should be in the spotlight. He willingly buried his personal style deep in Yves Saint Laurent's legacy, discreetly and discreetly portraying his traces.
If Woody Allen's Paris is a midnight look back at the Golden Age, Saint Laurent in Anthony Vaccarello's hands is a long, fluid feast of style. As a result, all the flamboyant, elegant, ostentatious, and obscure were presented together, and reborn in this banquet hall that has witnessed the countless flashes of the fashion house.
Saint Laurent at this moment is once the phantom of Yves Saint Laurent and the embodiment of Paris tonight, she will always be with you.
Source: Brand, Instagram