March 1st, 2022
Paris FW22 Collections
Saint Laurent: Breathtaking
The sensational Saint Laurent FW22 show took my breath away. The first time in a long time that I wish I’d been in the audience. The venue alone makes the film a must-watch. I’m currently atop a beautiful mountain and cannot wait to read the reviews tonight.
Thank you for the post. I just watched it and the setting, fashions, accessories ….spectacular !!!
Hello Preston, yes, breathtaking. Anyone else getting Halston vibes?
The collection is unquestionably chic! Amazing shapes and fabrics, really beautiful models. Two thoughts – the scale of the collection, especially collars and shoulders, is designed for tall women in tall shoes; is this what fashion-conscious American women will want to wear? It’s all gorgeous, but in North America, would it be wearable outside of NY and LA? It could be the dismal current events, but it comes off as a collection for global elites.
This show was awesome. All the clothes were pure fire in best way. I know your shopping wish list is long.
Finally found a minute to watch, thank you for reminding me. Absolutely FIERCE! Fake fur, flower brooches and bangles oh my. He has single-handedly dictated red carpet for the foreseeable future and in that sense, I agree with Paula. Some of it reads explicitly for press events and I will never get behind spike heels I will be digging out my bangles though and watching the silhouette trickle down.
P. S.
Agree about wanting to be there, can you just imagine the atmosphere with that music and crowd and the clothes? Shivers!
Other than high heels and gowns, I’m having a hard time understanding, specifically, how/why this collection would be singled out as being for global elites. Chanel and Hermes are fine, Saint Laurent is a bridge too far?
Bl makes a good point! It’s a very fair question. Recently, I’ve thought the same about Chanel’s target audience in terms of both their designs and price tags. I’ve asked in the past, what cities in America does a woman wear these clothes? Chanel’s couture seems more wearable, but I’m not a couture customer. I can still find t-shirt dresses at Hermes and long tailored cardigans and sensible shoes that I can wear for dinner on a casual patio in the Midwest or shopping on Michigan Avenue. I just never see anyone dressed like this YSL collection anywhere; and for my taste it comes off as screaming, “I’m incredibly rich, I fly private, I only eat at private international clubs and own homes on three continents.” Seriously, someone please tell me where women look like this? I visit some pretty spiffy places, and I don’t see anyone dressed like this. 🙂
The show was spectacular and the soigné silhouettes, gorgeous. And you are right, these looks, as is, will be on red carpets, in numerous magazine stories, on influencers, and on fashion-forward women in, most likely, big cities. However, the takeaways for me were the peacoat over a floor length slip dress, bangles up both arms, a classic YSL smoking suit, etc. All looks I would happily wear with either new pieces or old (a mix of the two). I was inspired by the care and grooming to pull off on of these looks, a far cry from sweatpants and cozy-wear.
Paula, thanks for continuing this conversation! I won’t disagree that the chances of me seeing someone with pieces from this collection here in the NYC suburbs are slim, but I think we are in a ‘different strokes for different folks’ situation. As a mom with two babies, is this collection for me? Probably not, but an Hermes T-shirt dress isn’t really a good investment for me either. In my book, luxury is luxury, no matter how you slice it. Sure, some things are more subtle, and some may have more long term wearability, but I think we are kidding ourselves if we use a few items of clothing as the determining factor for wealth.
Bl, I hear you on this. With this YSL, I think it’s the overall look, which as Preston wisely noted is usually deconstructed for the typical shopper, that reads as ‘for elites only.’ The shoes alone require a driver. I do feel the price points have reached a tipping point where it excludes almost everyone, even women who for their entire lives have been able to dress well and enjoy keeping up with their love of fashion. I love luxury things and have my fair share. But something about these looks just felt decadent – as I said, it could be the history we are experiencing right now. People hunkered down in subway stations is a stark contrast to the ‘different folks’/uber-wealthy’s ability to escape it all. Similar to COVID lockdowns, I tired of reading about those who were ‘hunkering down’ at their lovely ranch in Montana, the Clooneys living at Lago Como, etc. At heart, I feel solidarity with those who have little.. In my part of the country, no one looks like they have wealth – to an extreme – and I can’t say that’s all good either. Fashion and buying is emotional and changes with the times. Thank you for your thoughtful comment.
Paula, you and Preston are definitely right that it’s the combination of all the things that makes this stand out- in ways both good and bad. As for the tipping point, I wonder about this too, not only from a pricing standpoint, but from a collecting standpoint. When is enough enough? Lots to ponder these days, with clothing at the bottom of the list. Thanks again for continuing this convo.