Fashion Week

Saint Laurent Pays Tribute to Heritage for Spring/Summer 2024

With no sign of '80s power suits in sight.

model in deconstructed trench coat and high waisted black pants
All photos courtesy of Saint Laurent.

Yves Saint Laurent knew how to empower women. Even with his penchant for experimentation, ushering in new silhouettes that have revolutionized the industry, such as the Le Smoking suit and the Modrian Shift, at the end of the day, the core of the House stayed rooted in meeting the needs of the YSL woman. Anthony Vaccarello has stayed true to that.

Last season Vaccarello defined power dressing in his own way, presenting a line of '80s-inspired power suits with a modern twist. For the Saint Laurent Spring/Summer 2024 collection, the pendulum shifts, focusing less on structure and more on simplicity — returning to the House's heritage. The theme of soft elegance is reflected by the setting, a geometric, modernist space with kaleidoscopic and mineral surfaces, overlooked by a grandiose view of the Eiffel Tower.

With the first look, Vaccarello's homage to the Saint Laurent foundation is clear: a safari jumpsuit—a direct reference to the safari jacket, a garment that the maison's namesake designer was famously known for introducing to the high fashion world.

Looser silhouettes stand side by side with utilitarian-inspired garments including further iterations of safari jackets and jumpsuits. Menswear elements are also taken and reconfigured into staple womenswear garments such as cinched waist belts, wide-leg workwear trousers, and deconstructed boxy trench coats. 

The point of reference for it all? Pioneering women who created their own space in male-dominated territory, such as Amelia Earhart and Adrienne Bolland. Overall, the collection deferred from the overt merge of masculinity and feminity we've come to know, and stripped back from the opulence of seasons past. Traversing its 70-year heritage, the collection was chic and sensual, honoring its lineage from a modern view.

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