Ten months after his stellar Saint Laurent collection, in past February, Anthony Vaccarello has returned to the dunes to present Spring/Summer 2021.
There’s no elaborate show in Paris this time, though. Instead, it’s a hypnotic film by longtime creative accomplice Nathalie Canguilhem showing models walking in a snaking single file across striated sandbanks in… we don’t know where exactly ! An uninterrupted backdrop the better to showcase his new Saint Laurent’s terrific summer collection that captured the sleek and groovy Sixties chic.
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‘’I wanted to focus on the essence of things. I think it’s a sign of the times’’, he writes, in a release. ‘’But I didn’t want anything bleak or heavy. The desert, to me, symbolizes that yearn for serenity, open space, a slower rhythm. The clothes are also softer, the spirit of the collection is more gentle, stripped back’’.
Vaccarello, however, did dial down the bombast in his clothes, which had a new realism and ease that spoke of the current moment. Gone were the poufy clouds of fabric, the skintight latex, the linebacker shoulders. Instead, there were sharp black tailoring and suiting, tunics worn with trousers, light collarless jackets, shrunken blazers and vests worn with loose pleated pants, and fuss-free little ‘60s shifts.
Trim leather flight jackets, opaque gowns, wool tunics and shrunken vests retain the refined flair that Vaccarello has made his Saint Laurent signature, a taut counterpoint to the gently flowing sandscapes behind the models. Those dusty earth tones inform more casual staples like ribbed cotton bodysuits and bike shorts paired with a sharply-tailored jacket or a slinky blouse or granted a dressy edge by way of logoed-up handbags and flower-inspired earrings. These and several thin golden necklaces mirror the retro, oversized belt buckles that cinch many of the outfits’ waists.
