On Monday night, Anthony Vaccarello showcased a new collection for Saint Laurent that was heavily inspired by the brand’s founder, Yves Saint Laurent, at the rotunda of the Bourse de Commerce in Paris.
The Fall/Winter 2023 collection featured a departure from the rock and bohemian styles that have been associated with the brand in the past, and instead, it focused on a more sophisticated aesthetic. The designer channeled Yves Saint Laurent and his dandy boyfriend Jacques de Bascher in their glory days with slicked-back hair, dark sunglasses, and bodies dressed to the nines.
Vaccarello explained that the collection was inspired by the years at Yves Saint Laurent when everything started from the shoulder and that he wants to keep that line going. He also mentioned that he studied some of the founder’s final couture collections from the late ’90s and early Aughts, and applied the same meticulous details to the menswear. He pointed to the delicate stitching around the collars of the chiffon tops, which were done in the traditional atelier way.
The collection featured floor-sweeping, broad-shoulder coats, turtleneck sweaters that stretched from naval to calf, and silky pants. The designer also reprised the hooded silhouettes and majority of the collection was black, featuring belted coats as glossy as fresh tar, elegantly draped and wrapped tunics and knit tops, as well as jackets and tuxedo pants.