Anthony Vaccarello imagined a collection for Saint Laurent that played with our idea of visibility for winter 2024. In Paris, the show began with a soundtrack of intense strings (curated by SebastiAn) as the first model walked out onto a set made up of two connecting circular rooms. Against draped emerald velvet damask floor-to-ceiling curtains, disks of light grew bright from above, reflecting against a shimmering floor that looked like the streets of Paris on a rainy evening.
Courtesy of Saint Laurent.
Saint Laurent’s Skin-to-Skin Collection
The collection began with sheer, feminine dresses and separates that fit snugly against the body, at times suggesting the mere idea of clothing. That concept became clearly intentional on the part of Vaccarello, who seemed to have created whole looks from hosiery head to toe.
Courtesy of Saint Laurent.
He began with ubiquitous headwraps that reminded us of bygone stage and film stars getting ready in the green room. That image was cemented by stacked stage lights at the far end of the circular runway. The transparency of the collection was inspired by Marilyn Monroe’s infamous naked gown, worn on her last public appearance (an oft-referenced image for Saint Laurent).
Anthony Vaccarello Invokes the Memory of Fashion
See-through necklines reached the chin or navel, draped with a twist, turtleneck, or oversized drooping bow. Waists were drawn tightly in, like skin-to-skin, accentuated with thin belts that reminded us of ballerinas at the barre with tights over leotards.
Courtesy of Saint Laurent.
Skirts were penciled, hitting the knee, revealing distinct undergarments that did not have a mate above. The barely-there looks were completed with ultra-sheer tights on the leg, glass geometric jewelry, and large cuffs at the wrist. Invoking the memory of fashion, as Vaccarello described, there were some hints of the season, with oversized, sharply cut jackets and marabou coats serving as stoles or accessories.
Courtesy of Saint Laurent.
Slinky and liquid, garments fit as close as they could to the body, coming in colors close to shades of the skin, like a makeup palette. The revealing collection felt soft yet daring, fragile yet powerful.
Courtesy of Saint Laurent.
Courtesy of Saint Laurent.
Courtesy of Saint Laurent.
