The New York fashion season was a bit of a disaster with barely any relevant shows and lots of absences by the few designers who matter like The Row (now in Paris), Tom Ford (now digital), Thom Browne (now later), Ralph Lauren (now later as well) or Pyer Moss (don’t know). The shows that were on and relevant like Telfar, Shayne Oliver and Eckhaus Latta or Colleen Estrada project messy, thrift shop quality clothes with a nod to theater performances where the collection is not easily discernible. Needless to say the audience needs to wait, stay on for hours and is far removed from the fashion reality. And the uptown chic we used to be served in Gotham by brands like Carolina Herrera, Tory Burch, Ralph Lauren and of late Proenza Schouler has become irrelevant with no balls or parties to go to or the failure of those designers to update their oeuvre.
So this long intro is to serve only one purpose. To underline how relevant Saint Laurent is. A company, which has dressing ladies who lunch and go to social outings in its DNA. In a moment where the Yves Saint Laurent archives are on display to underline this heritage in no less than six major Parisian museums being in dialogue with major contemporary art entitled Yves Saint Laurent aux musées, Anthony Vaccarello has turned out one of his chicest and most relevant collections in a long time. No gimmicks in staging like his models walking in an UV light show, or overtly sexy Latex looks. He offered faux fur clad sans rien dessous and faux fur trimmed women in sexy black dresses with a beautiful coiffed side parting and super sexy coatdresses. All just in the right proportion, nothing archival, everything spot on for now. This is the achievement of Vaccarello at Saint Laurent. The house is a commercial powerhouse nearing three billion in turnover and it’s a desirable brand among young women and men alike.
Anthony Vaccarello’s Saint Laurent Fall 2022 ouevre
The silhouette statement?
Oversized boxy pea coats matched with floor length sweeping skirts looked new and gave a refreshing counter balance to Vaccarello’s normal razor sharp tailoring.
Oversize peacoats with sweeping skirts
Fresh silhouettes at Saint Laurent Fall 2022
De rigueur chez Saint Laurent?
Closing the show with black tuxedos all worn without shirting or underpinning gave the sexual charge the chicest coating. As always with impeccable casting, Vaccarello brought back Omahyra Mota for the finale on his catwalk.
Black tuxedo closing
Omahyra Mota walking for Saint Laurent
Family affair?
Donatella Versace who once hired a young Vaccarello to work for Versus was front row and the designer walked over straight to her for the finale to share a warm embrace.
Saint Laurent’s creative director Anthony Vaccarello taking a bow
