A look at the ads from Alber Elbaz for the house of Saint Laurent from Spring 1999 to Spring 2000
After catching Yves Saint Laurent’s attention with a brief stint at Guy Laroche, Alber Elbaz took over the label’s Rive Gauche ready-to-wear line in 1998. While the appointment did not shake the label’s identity to the core as his successors would, Elbaz did bring his strong personal style of playful and practical elegance to Saint Laurent’s foundation.
Like several of YSL’s before him, Elbaz’s first ad campaign again made excellent use of superstar model Kate Moss, who remains a key figure in shaping the brand’s image to this day. But Elbaz’s playful sense for art direction resulted in his ads feeling more conceptual and narrative-focused. He worked with photographer Mario Sorrenti to create his Spring 1999 campaign, which starred Moss and made humorous homage to iconic paintings – like the famous nipple pinch of “Gabrielle d’Estrées et une de ses sœurs” or Manet’s “Le déjeuner sur l’herbe” – but subverted the gender roles by swapping the female nudity for male.
Continuing this thoughtful exploration of gender and performance in art, Elbaz worked with photographer Philippe Commetti for the house’s Fall 99 campaign. Starring model Stella Tennant, the black-and-white compositions stunned with their enigmatic sense of drama and excellent use of props (or perhaps costume): each star held up a life-like mask of the other’s face.
But this period of reflection and steady transition was short-lived. Though Elbaz seemed to be guiding the house in a strong new direction that still respected its founder’s vision in terms of both design and concept, a change in ownership would bring his tenure to an early close.
Spring 1999
Photographer – Mario Sorrenti, Models Kate Moss, Noot Seear
Fall 1999
Photographer Philippe Cometti, Models Stella Tennant & Ivan De Pineda
Spring 2000
Models Lisa Ratliffe & James Rousseau
