Anthony Vaccarello brought a whole new meaning to Le Smoking with his latest Saint Laurent men’s show. Held inside the Bourse de Commerce – Pinault Collection, the catwalk circled Cloud #07156, an immersive installation by Fujiko Nakaya – currently being exhibited at the gallery – that filled the room with fog. As models trudged through the thick mist, they cut quite the striking figure in their broad suiting and body-con knits.
Vaccarello had been thinking about the art of seduction, which he says is achieved through restraint. “Nobody is trying to seduce you. What makes them seductive is that they do not need to,” he wrote in the show’s release. The designer wanted the collection to be an exploration of “the luxury of absence” – stripping his looks of unnecessary design or decoration. Cut the noise, focus on the silhouette. Suiting came narrow at the trousers or was given the perfect amount of slouch with wide-shouldered jackets that hung elegantly off the shoulders. Shirting was also cut wide and fashioned in silk, while windbreakers in technical taffeta proved to be standouts in their candy colours.
Pulling things closer to the body, v-neck sweaters were almost second skin-like, paired with narrow trousers and elongated, glossy Derbys that were actually see-through, worn sans-socks. Kinky indeed. Finishing things off with a procession of all gold looks, Vaccarello delivered a men’s collection that glowed in its precession and subtle sensuality. Shine on.
Photography courtesy of Saint Laurent.
