Anthony Vaccarello, the creative director of Saint Laurent since 2016, took on the idea of bringing Saint Laurents original inspirations to life. This collection brings forth the ideas behind the original creations of Saint Laurent and Paloma Picasso. 

Much like many of Anthony’s shows before this Spring Summer 2022 collection debuted across the street from the Eiffel Tower, using its twinkly lights as the backdrop and accent to the outlook of the entire show. The runway was constructed as a square stage, where the middle was an erect wall of lights and water. The wet runway added to the mood of the show and the collection, and by the final act of the show, the rain truly started to pour. 

This collection brought on most of what we could expect from Saint Laurent. Many silhouettes, some masculine others very feminine. While adding new elements and different ways of stylings. Vaccarello stated his inspiration or lack of for many garments for this collection which he quoted to Vogue, “to fix all those oversized jackets [Vaccarello is] tired of seeing on Instagram; just to show what a well-cut jacket is.” You can see throughout the collection Vaccarello loves to show shape, and contour, he wants fashion to be fitting, and he wants the clothes you wear to accent your figure. 

Although much of what was worn was fitted, it was the accessories that really stood out and were on the verge of oversized. From the jet black glasses of all-around and oval shapes to the necklaces and colourful earrings that truly became the scene-stealer of the overall look. What might have been the most interesting part of Vaccarello’s styling was how free he kept the model’s hands. In runway collections today, you will see models’ overall looks be completed with bags and purses that are pretty much lugged down the runway, but for Vaccarello, he took a different approach. 

Saint Laurent is known for their bags, on this runway, Vaccarello styled the handbags in a way that made them the statement pieces for each look, by tucking them into the waistband on the jeans or legging of each model. This idea actually allowed your eye to follow the bag and the overall look rather than overlook the bag or purse that is usually dangling by their side. 

This collection brought out a different look for Saint Laurent this spring/summer. Debuting a Frenchmeets Spanish styling is something that Saint Laurent always aspired to do. The classic looks from YSL have always been dark leather, tight silhouettes, smoking jackets and bold lipstick, much of this collection did that but with a little add-on or homage to Paloma Picasso and the relationship they shared in fashion.

Article published by HOLR Magazine