"Down
with the Ritz, up with the street", is the infamous slogan
associated with the House of Yves Saint Laurent. No doubt, newly appointed
creative director Hedi Slimane, lives by a similar sentiment in envisioning the
Saint Laurent woman of today.
The
Saint Laurent of today, is more so concerned with conveying an attitude; a
mood, rather than a literal interpretation of the archives. Its a novel approach to design and a curious one at that. Slimane has infused
his woman with a kind of youthful spirit that was perhaps absent from the
house under Pilati’s tenure. In this way, what the designer is doing for Saint
Laurent runs much deeper than pure aesthetic. He is bringing back the true
spirit of Yves Saint Laurent.
"A woman wearing Saint Laurent is always just right"
This
attempt to bring back the spirit of the house has no doubt led to controversy.
At first it was the change of name, then it was the eradication of house
classics (the Muse hand bag, and the tribute heels), and then it was the
ambitious move of design studios to Los Angeles. It seems where ever Slimane
goes, controversy follows.
Lets
not forget, the house is no stranger to controversy by any
means. Controversy and sensation are inherently Saint Laurent. And there
are great parallels to be drawn between the collections designed by Yves and
those designed by Hedi in terms on the sensation they have created. The YSL
1971 collection, the launch of the Opium perfume, the nude portrait of
Yves for Pour Homme. Each of these had their own considerable amount of
negative feedback.
Left: Black ciré trench coat, Saint Laurent Rive Gauche Collection 1968, Right: Yves looking very Hedi Slimane in a photograph from the archives
What’s more, Slimane has been routinely accused of disrespecting the legacy of Saint Laurent. Some critics have blatantly suggested his work could not be further from the DNA of the brand. These kind of statements make me wonder though how much people really know the history of the house. Many critics, and I’m thinking primarily of online critics, think they 'know' the legacy of a brand such as Yves Saint Laurent. Yet many fail to realise what Yves himself stood for, and why his work was so important. Of course, the rich visual culture and the iconography were important components of the Saint Laurent brand, yet so too was the spirit. The spirit gave the brand dynamism, it gave it allure, it gave it mystery, but most importantly it gave it life. This is precisely how I see Hedi approaching the legacy, in creating his collections.
The bold new aesthetic Hedi Slimane has established for the House of Saint Laurent is undeniably full of spirit. And the message could not be clearer: this is not the Saint Laurent of yesterday. You certainly won’t see any traditionally minded women in these unapologetically youthful Slimane-designed pieces.
Left to Right: Spring Summer 1971 Haute Couture; a reinterpretation of a classic; Pre-Fall 2013, referencing the past in a modern way.
Lets not forget, Yves too held a great disdain for the bourgeoisie, and for the conservative ladies who bought into the world of haute couture. Yves wanted his clothes to resonate with the modern woman; a working woman, someone willing to embrace new ideas. Pierre Berge, speaking of haute couture, offered the following sentiments; "We (Yves and himself) wanted to bring a touch of social relevance to it...Yves said it would be boring if fashion did nothing more than dress rich women". And this is exactly why Slimane has pushed the accelerator so aggressively on ideas of youth in his first few collections. He is steering Saint Laurent towards a new clientele; a clientele for whom Yves is but a distant memory.
"A brands identity needs to be quietly modernized and refreshed all the time"
The accessories have similarly been injected with a sense of youth and innovation. The new "Classic Duffle Bag" and the "Classic Paris T-Strap" shoe, offer a kind of clean, modern luxury that women of many walks, will no doubt be drawn to. Furthermore, it is items such as the aforementioned, that retailers are choosing to invest in. Classic, modern, and chic. This is how Saint Laurent is represented at a store level. Emphasis on the concept of modernity.
The new bag for Saint Laurent Paris, the Classic Duffle Bag
Remember, if Yves stood for anything, he stood for modernity. His clothes reflected the social, cultural, and political times in a way that was visually arresting but also stimulating on a cognitive level. "He designed the wardrobe of the modern times...he placed the notion of appeal above that of elegance", writes Florence Muller in the book Yves Saint Laurent.
The Saint Laurent woman, above all, is a woman of her time; for whom simplicity and modernity are key components of not only her wardrobe, but also her life. Therein, lies the beauty of a brand such as this. It creates the emotional link, so necessary to business success. As Rosemary Varley suggests "the emotional appeal of a luxury brand has to be strong and very relevant".
An image from the Spring Summer 2013 advertisement campaign
For the Fall Winter 2013 / 2014 collection, Hedi reached an apotheosis. The show suggested absolute liberation. This was communicated via the grunge, street elements of the clothes. The show left a sour after taste in many people’s mouths and suffered endless negativity in press reviews yet despite all this, it felt like a breakthrough for the designer. The spirit of the house felt more alive than ever. After the show, Pierre Berge offered simply; “I adored it; it’s exactly what needed to be done”.
The strengths of the collection were in the tailoring; the jackets in particular (a Saint Laurent signature), and the savoir-faire in some of the hand-crafted pieces. What I felt unsure of in the collection however was the way some of the pieces suggested an exceedingly girlish aesthetic. "Girlish and childish women were not his [Yves’] style" and neither are they Hedi’s either. The baby doll dresses, floral prints, and plaid shirts were to blame here.
Where the collection fell short though, and where it disappointed most, was in terms of its ideas of revolution. It felt far too focused on creating a revolution, and not focused enough on the actual clothes. The "streetness" of the collection in some points, overwhelmed the design of the pieces, and there were many great pieces interspersed within.
Left: Grunge at Saint Laurent Paris Fall Winter 2013 2014, Right: An archive dress from Haute Couture Fall Winter 1968 that perhaps inspired the look on the left
In terms of history, as much as Yves felt inspired by 'the street', he also felt disgusted to see a world that had become “sloppy” Indeed, Slimane's collection was in many parts exemplary of this so called international carelessness. The grunge element in this way, worked both to his advantage and to his disadvantage.
Despite all this, I admire Slimane for showing what he did in this collection. It was a bold move to liberate the house and bring back a sense of Saint Laurent spirit, and it worked, even if it meant we would see the effect in the coming seasons. And although I wasn’t in love with it, I still appreciate his point of view. Lets not forget, Slimane is one of the talented designers of our time. He has a brilliant sense of modernity. Furthermore, his desire to innovate, by shifting fashion towards a sense of casual luxury, is something I will watch with curious fascination. In a world where a great deal of fashion looks overly controlled and perfect (and at times exceedingly contrived), Hedi's Saint Laurent woman stands boldly amongst the rest.
