Saint Laurent should be complimented for COVID-safe show

Posted January 2021

By Thuyu Gedi

Cub Reporter

Saint Laurent overcame Coronavirus obstacles and held a COVID-safe runway show in the desert. Yes, the desert. Judging from previous shows, it isn’t surprising that Saint Laurent is once again showcasing their collection with daring scenery.

For their fall 2020 collection, Saint Laurent had models walk down a dimly-lit catwalk, the only light source being spotlights that followed the models. Ten months later the previous backdrop has been traded in for the sandy dunes of the Sahara, perhaps an ode to the late Yves Saint Laurent, born in North Africa.

Saint Laurent released their womenswear collection for the summer season on Dec. 15, 2020. Saint Laurent is notoriously known as the first major fashion house to move away from Paris Fashion Week and drop collections on their own time. Going into designing this collection, Vaccarello’s goals were to not “overreact” or “overthink.” The collection is titled “I Wish You Were Here” and is dedicated to the freedom of movement.

Swedish model Alma C kicked off the show in an all-black look, strutting down the runway in biker shorts and fitted blazer accessorized with dark shades and a hothouse bloom choker (inspiration drawn from Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant). She also wore heels and rocked an edgy bleach bowl cut, combing feminine and masculine silhouettes. In just this one look viewers can see the identity of the brand—feminine, self-assured, and strong-minded.

Several more models slowly made their way onto the sandy runway in fur-trimmed dresses, off shoulder tops, polka dot tights, blood-red head-to-toe attire, floral prints, mesh tops, gold jewelry, and more, one after the other, look after look, each one outdoing the other. Surely, this collection brought out enthusiastic oohing and aahing from viewers.

“It’s a difficult situation, but from the specific point of view of a designer, it was very important to me to focus on the core value of my job: making clothes desirable and comfortable for today,” Saint Laurent creative director Anthony Vaccarello stated. “As cheesy as it may sound, perfectly thought and made clothes are what I enjoy making. It’s not about nostalgia at all. When you look at the [collection], there’s also a kind of futurism, like what the 60s was about: Idealizing the future, like a phantasm but in reality. Saint Laurent was always about making real clothes.”

From the fur-trimmed sheer tops to the fitted blazers, this summer 2021 collection evidently mirrors 1960s Saint Laurent. Anthony Vaccarello’s vision is clear and properly executed, reminding us what Saint Laurent truly stands for. Vaccarello is able to combine the identity of Saint Laurent with his own.

At the nine-minute mark, the show climaxed and the scenery took a dramatic shift. The camera panned out, showcasing a giant YSL logo branded into the sand. The catwalk stayed the same, still on sandy dunes, but the sky changed from clear blue skies to a dark eerie night. Flames engulfed the edge of the runway and models continued to stride. The show concluded with a message on the screen: “I Wish You Were Here”.

The show can be watched on Youtube. All 66 looks can be found on the Vogue Runway App.