This week in Paris, Saint Laurent held its fall/winter 2017 show, debuting a new line full of the many paradoxes of a YSL woman’s attitude. She’s feminine, effortless, and a bit badass. She wears slouchy boots—whether they be leather made-for-walking black knee-highs or sexy silver sequins numbers—over denim. She rocks structured zip-down blazer dresses and one-shoulder gowns with a side slit up to her hip bone. She’s unafraid, unashamed, and uninterested in a boring look.
“I love Monsieur Saint Laurent’s subversive approach to clothes, his dark romanticism with a hint of perversity. I wanted this collection to be like a re-reading, a radical fantasy of his heritage,” said Anthony Vaccarello, the brand’s new creative director since last year.
Saint Laurent fall/winter 2017.Courtesy of Saint Laurent.
For the new collection, we saw patent leather make a serious statement alongside shearling, matte velvet, and leather for days. Large details graced many of the looks, including: a gathered flower-like bunch of material over many of the shoulders of long and short dresses, some with slits, some asymmetrical, and some with drawstrings; cascading long frills down the front of a knee-length dress and encompassing the front of a sleeveless dress from the neck down; large flowers were seen making a statement on collar-like necklaces and on the tops of off-the-shoulder dresses; above-the-elbow gloves with zippers and straps, insulated and overflowing with shearling, and appearing as a near-half-coat for the top of the shoulder; boots galore—slouchy velvet, leather, and sequins calf-high and knee-high boots in black, brown, blue, green, silver, and teal; cross-over skirts and strapless mini dresses with large flaps and frills; sheer silk and lace tops with bunched, bell, or drawstring sleeves;
We also got a taste of the men’s collection with a few show-stoppers, such as: shimmering dress tops, matching pants, shirts, and blazers with sequins detailing; relaxed low-rise trousers with an asymmetrical closure to mask the zipper and front button; and delicate, yet bold statement corsages and belts.
Saint Laurent fall/winter 2017.Courtesy of Saint Laurent.
For fall, winter, and seasons beyond, one thing is true—as Vaccarello wanted, the radical fantasy of Mr. Laurent’s heritage is back, and we’ll need to get it, and wear it, while we can.
Saint Laurent fall/winter 2017.Courtesy of Saint Laurent.
Saint Laurent fall/winter 2017.Courtesy of Saint Laurent.
