Saint Laurent SS22 marked a different kind of collection for the luxury fashion house, deviating from the overt black-and-white sexiness Saint Laurent has become known for during creative director Anthony Vaccarello’s tenure. Pinpointing an under-discussed, yet fundamental moment in Yves Saint Laurent’s career, Saint Laurent SS22 pays homage to French-Spanish designer Paloma Picasso.
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“We were invited to a friend’s house who was throwing a party. At one point, I no longer spot Yves,” recounted Pierre Bergé, Yves Saint Laurent co-founder. “I look for him and find him with a young unknown girl. She had wedge heels, a turban on her head, and things she had tinkered into clothes. It was Paloma Picasso.”
The meeting between Yves Saint Laurent and Paloma Picasso delineated a turning point for the couturier and his namesake label, opening up new thought processes and eviscerating the rigid borders of haute couture and even those of ‘good taste’. For Saint Laurent SS22, Vaccarello tapped into Paloma Picasso’s independence of spirit and unique energy with a collection that exudes unconventional sexiness.
Archival printed flowers are reintroduced; clean lines are juxtaposed against revealing curves; blue and – fittingly – paloma red punctuate the collection with edgy vibrance; and structural jackets and blazers with exaggerated shoulders play with proportion, adding a sense of masculinity to glamorous looks.
“For a long time, I wanted to transpose this meeting between Paloma Picasso and Yves Saint Laurent, whose importance few realize in the designer’s creative journey,” explained Vaccarello “It is a moment to which I am sensitive as a designer, because for me it is the defining moment when Saint Laurent’s fashion creativity became a style.”
Words by Arabella Johnson
