DECONSTRUCTING
SAINT LAURENT
He removed Yves from Saint Laurent, introduced a rebellious new muse, and supercharged the label’s sales. Four years on, enfant terrible Hedi Slimane unveils his last collection for the iconic French house – and this season, there are more sequins, shoulder pads and attitude than ever before.
A scan of the original print feature for Emirates Woman can be found here.
You could have heard a pin drop in the Left Bank townhouse that was the location for Saint Laurent’s A/W16 show – and not least because this season, Hedi Slimane eschewed his signature rock ‘n’ roll soundtrack for a narrator (a nod to how the presentations were originally shown). This was to be Slimane’s last collection for the house, and the reverent silence seemed to acknowledge that.
​
The clothes, on the other hand, are anything but subdued. A Le Smoking suit is topped with the frothy ruff of a see-through chiffon blouse. Shoulders of jackets and dresses are pronounced to gravity-defying proportions¬¬¬¬. Gold accoutrements – from coiled, serpentine necklaces to metallic cummerbund belts – play-fight for attention against spray-on silver sequins.
​
Slimane’s Saint Laurent girl has grown up, throwing off her plaid shirts in favour of all things high-shine and super-tight. But once a rebel, always a rebel. She wears translucent tights with exclamation-point pumps and tops off her party dress with a paint-splattered biker jacket. It’s this defiant attitude that’s Slimane’s winning card; in four years, he’s transformed the Kering-owned maison from underdog to hero, swapping starched couture for ripped denim. No one likes a goodie-goodie, after all.
​
Power shoulders, ra-ra skirts, asymmetry… ‘80s nostalgics may rejoice, but they ought not to unearth their crimpers and blue eyeshadow, just yet. Saint Laurent’s retro-redux dictates we look to Helmut Newton’s ‘70s dominatrices for beauty inspiration; read slicked-back ‘dos, heavily-kohled eyes and sulky scarlet pouts.
​
Besides, this is hardly the stuff that polyester thrift store nightmares are made of. It may look effortless, but each piece is constructed with couture-like precision. A densely beaded dress, a buttery, crystal-laden leather jacket and a coat of painted ostrich feathers suggest painstaking handiwork in the Saint Laurent atelier.
​
These aren’t simply objets d’art – they’re collectors’ items, given Slimane’s recent exit. His final love letter to the skinny-jean-wearing tribe? A scarlet-red cape, dramatically sculpted to resemble a heart. Wearable? Not unless you’re Lady Gaga or Daphne Guinness. Luckily, the shape also comes in the form of a gold, crossbody bag. Slimane’s love affair with Saint Laurent may be over, but there are no broken hearts – on the runway, at least.