from the Chiasmus archive: "Saint Laurent. Pre-Fall 2021" Posted: June 22nd, 2021 by CHIASMUS MAGAZINE BLOG

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(Images: Saint Laurent 2021)

Anthony Vaccarello’s impressive film inspired clip for his Fall/Winter 2021 collection is probably, as far as quarantined fashion designers in a post-pandemic world goes, one of the finest examples of the film trend of 2021 and its fashion crossover.  Using the the natural environment as a dramatic backdrop, relayed through a digital medium in displaying his late 1970's and early 1980's stylizations for the Saint Laurent aesthetic.  My review of the show can be viewed on the OVERDUE fashion magazine blog.   In a paradoxical back-to-front way, he has released  his Pre-Fall showing, shot at the Yves Saint Laurent headquarters via the Rue de l’Université on Paris’s Rive Gauche, after the Fall 2021 collection which was revealed in April of this year.  To have a Pre-Fall showing occur after the actual Fall Winter collection one maybe excused in viewing this as confusion, if one is to assume, without reading into it too much, that it could be a metaphor of how everything has been turned on its head ala COVID-19.

What ever the case of a post 2021 Pre-Fall showing, it is Vaccarello's fascination, which I have deemed his sweet spot inspiration within its history and associated cultural lifestyle, that holds a distinct hedonistic romanticism.  Which is of course the years between 1977 through to 1983, not to be confused with Yves Saint Laurent’s exploration of Eastern European and Middle Eastern styles of the same vintage, rather Vaccarello, even through he has incorporated some of the late fashion designer’s 1976 Russian cossack looks, as noted also with  the F/W 2021 collection, Vaccarello has stayed firmly within an era of its Western epicureanism, certainty devising his own style from the Saint Laurent template.

As opposed to the more eros looks of the Winter collection,  Vaccarello’s Pre-Fall collection is showing signs of Yves Saint Laurent’s more conservative stylizations, however the 70’s and 80’s esque vampy and wayward actress concepts remain, yet Vaccarello’s ardent sex appeal of previous collections has been toned down – although not too much, his latest ensemble reflects a functionality.  Knee high boots, mini skirts and high hemmed skirts are matched with denim, tweed pants, leather jackets, velvet and silk flowing ankle length skirts.   The formal shines through for Vaccarello’s latest array, even though it does feel restrained than previous collections, his amorous imprint for the prestigious fashion house, despite its cloaked impression, is ever present.

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(A.Glass 2021)