EXCERPT: SAINT LAURENT. FALL READY-TO-WEAR 2023 - PARIS FASHION WEEK

 "...It is not an attractive collection as opposed to Vaccarello's 70's and early 80's stylizations for the famous fashion brand,  rather Vaccarello has run deep into inspiration from the late Ives Saint Laurent and then later Tom Ford's sexualized dominatrix appeal, when both designers reflected wealth and power as a primary aesthetic of the feminine.  And it would be at the strike of a pen, you could lose your job.  Thus, the corporate world's brutal reliance and feverish motivation of greed, as Wall Street pumped and dumped.  In a mostly male dominated work place, with the many women trying to secure a slice of that pie.  Power dressing was very much the yuppy statement of success, and as the sexual revolution petered out into the late 80's,  sex became more of a tool.  Utilized as a way of making or breaking a deal or more importantly, to retain your employment.   

Knee high skirts, slouchy satin and silk sleeveless blouses, stockings, blazers and shoulder pads.    The collection feels cold even aggressive in its presentation, large wraparound leather and wool jackets.   With the models wearing sunglasses throughout the runway presentation, also noted are the braless and deep cut tops, with suggestive cues in the power play of the Eros.  Vaccarello has masculinized the collection, by offering the looks to be a way of equalizing the feminine in a male world of mergers and acquisitions.  Does it hold up today?   In some ways it does.   The more things change, "plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose". 

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Full review:  chiasmusmagazine.blogspot.com/2023/03/saint-laurent-fall-ready-to-wear-2023.html

(A.Glass 2023)