Saint Laurent electrifies Paris Men’s Fashion Week with a grandiose, haute couture show | GQ France
During the men’s parade Saint Laurent last night on the occasion of the Paris Fashion Week, a handful of parts had already been designed and completed long ago. They were taken from the brand’s artistic director Anthony Vaccarello’s latest women’s collection, like this inky leather trench coat that closed the women’s show last September. Last night, a model wore her own version with a draped hood. “I want to put men and women on the same level,” the designer said backstage a handful of minutes before the show. “I don’t want them to be different… There is an evolution towards a new collection, but I started with what he could have worn from the woman last season and how he can reinterpret it in his own way. “
The Belgian designer’s collection was presented with that exquisite cinematic flourish that quickly became Anthony Vaccarello’s trademark. “When I think of making a collection, I always think of this type of man or woman that I saw in a film, he explains, it’s a form of fantasy that I must have to start a collection.”
This season, the Belgian had the honor of disappearing into the grounds of the Bourse de commerce, a former trading room which, after a reduced renovation by architect Tadao Andō, now houses the art collection of François Pinault, patriarch of the Kering group. Just over 100 guests – a particularly intimate list for a brand of this size – were invited to sit on what looked like circular sofas under the dome of the Bourse de commerce.
When the first silhouettes appeared, it became clear that the small committee was going to witness a drama that was both dark and sensual. Suits in floor-skimming Stygian overcoats with protruding shoulders, and in grandiose evening wear – a crisp tuxedo jacket over tailored trousers, a flowing blouse with a cowl hood, a sequined knit turtleneck up knee-length like a tunic, all of these characters were mysterious and inexorably cool. “I really think it’s more modern for men to dress like this,” says Anthony Vaccarello. While many designers try to find their feet in the quicksand of mixing genres in fashion, often with mixed results, Saint Laurent’s creative director’s shared wardrobe concept offers a refreshingly real approach. : exchange chic ideas between the different sections of the store until one side is just as attractive as the other. Moreover, when a journalist asks him if he imagines the Saint Laurent man and woman as friends or lovers, Anthony Vaccarello offers a very modern answer: “They do what they want.
The 41-year-old designer is manifesting at an articulated point in his career: “For me, menswear started the last season,” he added, referring to his spring-summer 2023 collection unveiled in the Moroccan desert of Marrakech. Before, he says, he made too many compromises, and put his man Saint Laurent in a conversation that was far too topical. On the circular runway of his parade, however, there was no trace of any compromise: the palette was limited to black, white and brown. This is Anthony Vaccarello’s smallest collection with (only) 47 looks. His previous planned 50. “I think I’m doing more and moreediting. Maybe I’ll end up having only a dozen looks…”, he explains with a laugh. He credits the birth of his son last year, however, with helping him focus on the important things in life and let go of distractions. “That’s why this collection is much more direct, with one point of view and one message,” he says. “I owe it to him.” Finally, a nice gift.