Review of Saint Laurent Fall 2022 Fashion Show
Quietly Poetic
By Dao Tran
For this season, Anthony Vaccarello drew inspiration from Art Deco, an aesthetic which occupied a special place in Yves Saint Laurent’s private universe and home if not his clothing line. The opening look set the tone: an oversized black jacket over a long, white satin dress, with the look of a girl snuggling into her warm coat after the ball. That is the general silhouette of the collection – a dramatic coat or jacket on top of a long, lean, fluted dress. A strong, warm protection for the delicate feminine underneath.
The cut was masterly, the drape was classic, the shape was beautiful, the ruching was perfect – in short: the collection was achingly elegant.
I can’t stop thinking about the collar on this one dress and the sleeve on the other.
The very clean, pared-back, almost – dare I say, somber – showing in mostly black and white was such a departure from the last ones, which also included hot, sizzling, gem stone colors and metallics and a more disco, glam energy. The most drama came in the form of luxe, plush fur coats – a bit shocking after the announcement in September of last year that all Kering houses would stop using fur this year, and a true testament to the master craftsmen who have pulled off such decadent looks in imitation fur.
Who says you can’t have your fur and wear it, too?
No animals were harmed in the making of these garments, though nobody on the street would know it, and you would probably still be pelted with red paint by PETA activists.
And what Saint Laurent show is complete without modern takes on the tuxedo?
There were no bags this season, which was in line with the minimal aesthetic, but feels like a missed opportunity when everybody knows that accessories make up such a large proportion of sales. Last season, the pocketbook tucked in the waistband was such a hot ticket!
I can’t quite put my finger on it, but there was something tugging on my heartstrings this whole presentation. It was so great and yet somehow made my heart hurt, like when a baby does something so amazing it makes your heart hurt, down to the standing ovation and Vaccarello’s heartfelt hugs with Catherine Deneuve, Demi Moore and others. The show notes hint at a moment of reflection, which is quite topical because of the moment of living history we have all been thrust into this past week. Stylistically, Vaccarello looked to Nancy Cunard as a guiding star – literally for her bangles, but perhaps also indirectly for her fearlessness and her activism. We could all take a page from her playbook and stand up for civil rights and against fascist or, in our case, communist dictators trying to take over a country.