We take you to the front row of what was PFW’s most exclusive event – Saint Laurent’s couture presentation. And what a showcase it was. Join us on a journey through the Eighties’ punk rock era, according to the extraordinary mind of Hedi Slimane.
By Aishwarya Tyagi
Saint Laurent Haute Couture a/w16
For his debutant Couture show for Saint Laurent – amidst the peak of ready-to-wear fashion week in Paris – Slimane did what he does best and incorporated music into tailoring; yet, the intimate venue was silent. The show brought flashbacks of the house’s iconic archive, reinvented with a young and refreshed appeal. Harkening back to Yves’s tenure, models marched out to the voice of Bénédicte de Ginestous, who called out the number of each look, the way he had for the original designer’s shows since 1977. Filling in the silence, came out a burst of dramatically proportioned Eighties’ glam grunge designed with the atelier’s couture techniques in luxe fabrics.
Saint Laurent Haute Couture a/w16
This was Slimane’s vision of the modern Saint Laurent-clad party girl; plenty of leather, including the star-emblazoned jacket; puff shoulders in bright coloured furs; raven-wing sequins; a black ostrich coat with the pink and turquoise-painted tips; and the youth infused eveningwear complete with black columns and flouncing tiers. The extraordinary craftsmanship within the retro revival of the show was filled with plenty of options for the label’s younger and fashion savvy consumers who appreciate the heritage and utility of a Saint Laurent piece.
In terms of craftsmanship, Slimane has blurred the lines between ready-to-wear and couture since his debut collection for the brand. After viewing last night’s offering, we’re left wondering whether this is an additional line for the brand or simply a new and well deserved title for what was previously labeled ready-to-wear.
