When we think of the Saint Laurent woman we don’t often think of romance. Sure, she might start off her night at Hôtel Costes, meet a stranger while having a cigarette on the terrace and see where the night takes her. However, we don’t really imagine her prepping a picnic basket early Saturday morning for a dalliance in the Jardin du Luxembourg. Yet something about the appearance of the typical Anthony Vaccarello collection was different yesterday evening… Was that color? Last night, when Vaccarello presented the Fall Winter 2020 collection to the tune of DJ Sébastien Akchoté, we saw a side of the YSL woman who might even flirt with the idea of sharing a seat on the carousel near the Eiffel Tower - where the show happened to take place.
An uncharacteristic nod to romance via rose-colored heels. Photo: theimpression.com
The collection was shown with the usual, dramatic Parisian flavor Saint Laurent is known for imparting. The all-black runway and stark spotlights on the models had the kind of “f- off” attitude one has come to expect from the iconic line. However, there was an unexpected emotional difference incited within the collection by Vaccarello’s astute injection of color, which ran contrary to the brand’s code of style consistency. The colors featured last night were an unanticipated merging of burnt yellows, vibrant pinks, shades of blue, purple and a ton of red amid the usual dark materials.
The high-spirited shades featured in the collection begged the question of why color - why now? It’s not often we see tones of peppiness or vulnerability in a Saint Laurent line. In fact, the dark fabrics commonly employed throughout the brand’s line have earned the image of the Saint Laurent woman a reputation of untouchability and a bit of irreverence. With this collection though, it is as if the reticence she is known for has melted under the lightness of a pastel blue coat. It is like we are being encouraged to see an aspect of her personality we weren’t privy to before.
In that regard, seeing this collection is like seeing the Saint Laurent woman in love for the first time. Of course, she does not communicate this feeling through pastel gowns or florals, but with the incorporation of vibrant colors, more lingerie inspired tops and a lot of latex. She may be as caught off-guard as we are by these newfound emotions, but that doesn’t mean she has forgotten herself by abandoning her dark intensity or sophistication.
She’s more alive and more vulnerable. But only to a degree. It’s still Paris.
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