On Tuesday night in Paris, Anthony Vaccarello debuted his first collection for Saint Laurent. Or is it Yves Saint Laurent again? Or YSL? Vaccarello takes over for Hedi Slimane, who controversially tossed the Yves as part of his rebranding. Would Vaccarello follow his lead?
Well there couldn't be a clearer sign that there's a new guard at Yves Saint Laurent than the giant neon YSL sign hanging from a crane outside the show venue on Rue de Bellechasse—which will serve as the headquarters and showrooms of Saint Laurent in 2018. (The complex used to house the Ministry of the French Armed Forces until 2014.)
Would the clothes also do an about face?
Here, everything you need to know about the new YSL under Anthony Vaccarello:
The nipple is free
Vaccarello is known for his sexy, slit-up-to-there dresses. At YSL, his sexy aesthetic manifests in sheer everything, particularly lace insets in '80s-style leather mini dresses and filmy camisole tops. There wasn't a slit skirt in sight.
Well...almost. There's a pastie!
Getty Images R-L: Anthony Vaccarello for YSL, Lindsay Lohan for Ungaro
And I haven't seen one of those on the runway since Lindsay Lohan "advised" for Ungaro in 2010. Memba that?
The suiting is strong
Vaccarello's interpretation of Saint Laurent's famed le smoking is elegant and refined.
...and so is the '80s influence
Where Slimane preferred a California '90s rocker vibe, Vaccarello is drawing on the '80s YSL for references. See: the poof-shouldered mini dress, the gold lamé, and the one-shouldered silhouette.
The Y is back in YSL
Hedi Slimane infamously discarded the Yves in Yves Saint Laurent, rebranding the label as simply Saint Laurent. It didn't take at first but Slimane committed to the new name and eventually everyone was reverentially murmuring Saint Laurent and coveting the bags and the boots.
Vaccarello is bringing Yves back, at least for some logo-mania. The YSL logo adorned ear cuffs and comprised the vertiginous heels of stilettos. (Are those back too? Welp.)
Whether Vaccarello can convey that same covetability and impeccable tailoring that made Slimane's Saint Laurent such a retail hit remains to be seen.
The show is cosigned by a very stylish FROW
This family of women have cornered the market on effortless French style. If they're on board, should you be, too?
