Everything
At Saint Laurent Fall Winter 2023 men’s collection, Anthony Vaccarello shuts the door on outdated clothing codes embedded in menswear.
Can something be both soft, fluid and architectural all at the same time? It might not be the question that Saint Laurent artistic director Anthony Vaccarello asked while creating the Fall Winter 2023 men’s collection but it’s provided an answer to the conundrum none the less. And the answer is a resounding yes.
Lean, chicly tailored silhouettes that retained a sense of fluidity at the edges courtesy of flowing details. The sharpness of the cut of shoulders on coats and shirting was balanced by the built-in bows and the drape of the body and contrasting volume of trousers. To speak of it in a romantic sense, it was almost like looking at marble columns under the surface of water.
The boundary between womenswear and menswear has, at Saint Laurent, always been a blurry one. Eponymous founder Yves was famous for his introduction of masculine elements into his womenswear Vaccarrello has slowly been introducing the signature lines that marked Saint Laurent womenswear into his men’s collections – lighter, more mobile clothing. Trouser suits. The infamous tuxedo.
Now, it seems it’s men’s turn to adapt with the incorporation of the fits and finishes lifted straight out of Saint Laurent womenswear collections.
To be fair the adaptation isn’t a huge leap. Shirts and trousers fairly familiar territory for most men. Where it begins to get fun is in Vaccarello’s treatment of them, combining elements of tailoring and draping in all one. That, and the neutralising, elongated nature of the clothing that sheaths the body rather than wrapping or cocooning it.
There was some surprise inclusions from an inky black denim paired with a shirt that had a in-built draping scarf or white lounge-pant with elasticated waist to blink and you’ll miss it colour in a sea of black and white. It was enough to ensure that you had better be paying attention for an occasional twist and turn without breaking character.
