Saint Laurent autumn/winter ’20 show
By Staff Writer, écoute moi
The Fashion Show usually hosted in front of the Eiffel Tower, Saint Laurent’s runway shows are the furthest thing from low key, and the brand’s autumn/winter ’20 show harnessed the same over-the-top energy. The fashion show was cloaked in orbs of light, and stacked with the highest echelons of the industry; Saint Laurent’s runway is the crowning jewel of Paris Fashion Week season after season.
The Parisian empire has symbolized timeless femininity and unapologetic confidence since its foundation in 1961, but under the creative direction of Anthony Vaccarello, Saint Laurent has fitted its loyal band of trendsetters with a seductive fusion of rock motifs and hippie silhouettes.
This season, inspired by the good girls and bad boys of Yves Saint Laurent’s ’90s nightlife–and with a return to the house’s original logo–the house’s quintessential body-hugging asymmetry and tailoring was upgraded with rich jewel tones, seductive detailing, and plenty of latex to go around
Saint Laurent autumn/winter ’20 show
Creative director Anthony Vaccarello continued his club-ready, ’80s-reminiscent aesthetic on the catwalk, with models sporting exaggerated silhouettes, dramatic tailoring, and an abundance of latex and leather.
Le smoking was smoked, the jean shorts shorted and Marrakech a distant memory. This season, Anthony Vaccarello went all in on Latex to put his spin on fashion’s throwback bourgeois trend.
Latex leggings were the new base layer for the house specialty: jackets. In an antidote to so many seasons of black, double-breasted blazers came in an array of patterns and hues — royal blue, firecracker red, yellow, Prince of Wales check, windowpane and more, with perfectly prim velvet collars and gold buttons. The models rocked them, hands in pockets, legs gleaming, casting big shadows on the soft-carpeted infinity runway.
Saint Laurent autumn/winter ’20 show
Draped Latex blouses and zip-back pencil skirts reinforced the idea of a new classicism, with bows, ruffle collars, ribbon tied cuffs and cocooning feather capes adding a few spare decorative elements.
The reference for the collection was the Nineties, the designer said backstage, after greeting Rami Malek and Zoë Kravitz. “That was when YSL was less in the street than in the Sixties and Seventies.” Now, once again, fashion is getting more dressed up.
There were memorable moments, like a glossy black Latex halter dress cut out at the sides and tied in a bow at the nape of the neck, which brought to mind something Catwoman might wear on a date with Batman, and a barely there sheer black bustier over electric blue leggings that Sandy could have worn to dominate Danny at the end of “Grease.”
Saint Laurent autumn/winter ’20 show
When asked backstage if the prevailing #MeToo movement has influenced his work, Vaccarello said, “My woman has the power of doing what she wants…she’s not submissive.”
Considering the label’s wave of chic ambassadors—Zoë Kravitz, Rami Malek and Charlotte Gainsbourg, to name a few—there was as almost as much enjoyment in watching the front row at Saint Laurent as there was for watching the runway.
Celebrity attendees also included Hailey Bieber, Lily Collins, Rosé Park, Monegasque princess Charlotte Casiraghi, and even Brooklyn Beckham, who attended with his girlfriend, model Nicola Peltz.