SAINT LAURENT

This season, Anthony Vaccarello’s Saint Laurent girl has grown up. The designer has always interpreted the legacy of Yves Saint Laurent through a sexy party-girl lens but this time around, Vaccarello has taken a more sophisticated approach. The silhouette is long and lean, built on a delicate foundation of sinuous, bias-cut gowns and wispy silk and chiffon dresses. Over these, Vaccarello layered powerful, protective pieces: sharp tuxedo jackets; sleek leather trenches; mannish overcoats; plush faux furs. The effect is one of both softness and strength—the latter quality amplified even further with the stacks of bracelets and bangles layered on each arm, like some kind of modern armour. Even fully covered up, the models exuded the sex appeal that Vaccarello has made his calling card at the House—expressed not through the usual ultra-short hemlines and bare breasts but with elegant, womanly restraint.