Saint Laurent’s creative director Anthony Vaccarello presented a lineup that was all about big-shouldered jackets and neat pencil skirts, paired with plunging tank tops, gold hoop earrings, aviator sunglasses, and patent sling-backs with gold-spike heels. The show was held inside a giant black YSL-logo box at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, where Vaccarello had installed a carpeted runway and decorated the room with big gold chandeliers to resemble the ballroom of the Intercontinental Hotel, where the late fashion icon Yves Saint Laurent presented his Haute Couture collections from 1975 until 2001.
Vaccarello’s attention to detail and dedication to perfection in cloth and cut was evident in the way the big-shouldered jackets held firm, while the rest of the jacket swayed. He cited a desire to combine tailoring and flou in each of the jackets, some of which were pinstriped, others plain. The designer has been nudging the eye towards this silhouette for the past few seasons, and it was no surprise to see the CEO of Saint Laurent, Francesca Bellettini, sporting one of Vaccarello’s sharp-shouldered smokings.
The show was a celebration of grand gestures, from the tie-neck blouses wound into giant pussy bows to the mohair stoles draped dramatically over the big shoulders, caught in a big gold ring on one side. The inspiration for the tartan came from a photo of Catherine Deneuve wearing a checkered jacket.
Tackling skirt suits was a new challenge for Vaccarello, who is more recently focused on statement overcoats and tube dresses. The show was notable for its single-mindedness, with only one outerwear style and no leather goods but for a slender evening clutch. The show climaxed with sheer blouses, sheer pencil skirts, and draped velvet, leather, and chiffon evening confections that echoed Vaccarello’s very soigné men’s collection, where everything also started from the shoulder.
