Paris Fashion Week Show

For a city rife with some of the most iconic show locations out there, Saint Laurent certainly picked the dream spot to kick off Paris Fashion Week. Set below the Trocadero, in the open air, against the backdrop of the glittering Eiffel Tower, for Anthony Vaccarello in his third season at the helm of the storied house, this was a collection that had its roots in Paris – with one foot in the archives, the other, strutting seamlessly into the future.

A renewed energy swept through the presentation, with distinct chapters of the Saint Laurent house being revealed through Vaccarello’s artful plays. Opening with a journey to Marrakesh, there were billowy peasant blouses, boho layering and slouchy boots, chiffon ruffles and exotic, jeweled patterns, which then descended into that unmistakable Saint Laurent attitude of slinky dresses, corset-style strappy bodices, plunge-neck silhouettes, leather, leopard print, and wide lapel and sequin tuxedo jackets – worthy of a Helmut Newton photograph or two. There was even lace, which was anything but demure, instead, barely-there, deconstructed, bunched and draped to ensure plenty of reveals and set off with leather shorts. Then came the couture story: mesmerizing white and black taffeta and silk confections, a puff of cerise pink satin, along with clouds and halos of feathers, lipstick-red leather poufs as seen on Anja Rubik and in a shimmering jet on Kaia Gerber.

Couture for ready-to-wear, fluffy over-the-knee feather boots for spring and evening for the day, this was Vaccarello dicing with the decadent side of the season, telling the Saint Laurent girl to relax and just enjoy the ride.