Name KNow To
If you’re wearing punk in any way right now—from a fully studded jacket to subtle chain purse—you have Hedi Slimane to thank for it. The Saint Laurent designer, in his second collection for the iconic French house, has single-handedly brought grunge— inspired by the Californian underground scene—back into fashion. While Yves Saint Laurent broke tradition and dressed women in tuxedos and safari suits in the ’70s, Slimane has taken the most anti-fashion movements from the ’80s and made it chic, even desirable. There are boots and bags done up with chains and studs paired with checkered dresses, and even a fur coat worn atop a flowery blouse and dotted pantyhose. And he hasn’t stopped there. A particular baby doll dress is retailing at $68,000 apiece. Slimane’s reason? That the fabric is developed specially, and the dress, for all its punk overtures, is made according to the highest standards of haute couture. In this iconoclasm, Slimane mimics Yves Saint Laurent. As soon was appointed last year, he did two things that would have been ca reactionary even in the days of Yves himself. He moved the design studi to Los Angeles (angry protests notwithstanding), and renamed the brand to Saint Laurent (more angry protests), reserving, he said, the use of the founder’s full name to a possible return to haute couture in the future.
This isn’t the first time that he has worked at Saint Laurent. He was made director of YSL menswear in 1996, but left in ’99 because he didn’t want to report to Tom Ford, who had just taken the reins of the house. And with this stint, he has made it clear that he will play by his own rules, that he intends to take the house back to its glory days.