Saint Laurent Pre-Fall 2025

(Images: Saint Laurent 2025)

Yves Saint Laurent's decadence, and expose of the fluidity that is truly within the realm of the feminine, where his late 1960s tuxedos and colonialism inspired smoking jackets (he was born in Oran, Algeria), morphed into wider shoulder padded, power suit dominatrix esque personae of the late 1970s and early 1980s via Saint Laurent's muses, who graced the runways of Paris showcasing the spill over from 70s eros, into the 80s accentuated carnal.  Of course Anthony Vaccarello's Saint Laurent, has indeed tracked the late French fashion designer's iconic arrays, to which Yves mastered over the five decades of his tenure, before his death in 2008. And there is no doubt that Vaccarello, who began is creative direction of Saint Laurent in 2016, has ramped up the sex appeal to its epicurean highs. 

However, there has been at times a clunkiness to Vaccarello's homage to Yves Saint Laurent, it is only when the Belgium designer breaks the linkage, yet maintains the inspiration of its pure hedonic overture, we do see some interesting, and inspiring reflections of three decades of counterculture, that reversed 1950s conservatism, and yes, its possible shift into Far Right modernism, before the 1960s hippies were able to push it back.  The question we ask.  Are we ready to counterculture once again?  So, far, nothing seems to be stirring.  And yet, we need a reversal of the current Far Right political world more than ever.  For now, we can only romanticize what was, and what could be. Or do we?  Why not live it.  

Vaccarello's Pre-Fall 2025 collection is the most 1980s to date, with its magazine 'grainey' lookbook styles, as it tantalizes that sweet spot between 1979 to 1984, where fellow Belgium designer Diane von Fürstenberg, holds the decree, that it was the most sexuallly liberating period for women.  And Vaccarello has indeed added extra spice to his lookbook collection, with 80s oversized leather and shearer jackets, loose fitted shirts and plunging necklines, faux fur jackets.  With its outerwear lace and lingerie, which sets the stage for not-so-subtle allure of the possibility of a tryst later this Friday evening.  Or, better still, an evening before the dinner-to-tyrst, with your lover, at a hotel bar, cafe, wearing a miniskirt, heeled boots, sheer, see through top, plaid jacket, sunglasses, enjoying a black forest cake, Godfather cocktail (Scotch whisky and amaretto, over ice), and a strong coffee later.  Decadent, hedonist and very 1980s.

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(A.Glass 2025)