Saint Laurent Fall-Winter 2024 Collection is a Sheer Beauty
- Yaseen Dockrat
Since taking over the helms of Saint Laurent, Anthony Vaccarello has brought a clear mandate to the half-a-century-old fashion house, which has seen the brand double its sales. For his Winter 2024 Collection, Vaccarello turned to the central point of fashion – clothing – and then rendered it invisible.
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It was clear that the collection was inspired by the famous “naked” dress worn by Merilyn Monroe, which serves as a reference for Saint Laurent more often than not. This collection sees Vaccarello explore the idea of fashion as we once knew it, disappearing into a memory. Most recently, the gown was worn by Kim Kardashian at the 2022 Met Gala, while at the Yves Saint Laurent Museum in Paris, the Transparencies exhibition ran concurrently with the show, highlighting the importance of sheer and transparent to the house of Saint Laurent.
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Using the theme of an X-ray, the designer sent out models with transparent silk dresses that sat close to the skin, resembling undergarments that revealed and shrouded those wearing them simultaneously. Bare was a significant theme, and most looks in Saint Laurent’s AW 2024 collection featured bare chests. Using the theme of Hyper-graphic X-rays, and Transparency, the distance between the garment and the skin was minimised to become one. “Transparency—a Saint Laurent signature—is re-read, minimising the distance between garment and skin so the two effectively meld and fabric evaporates like mist, caressing the leg just below the knee, the length is classic, but the content is novel,” Saint Laurent said in its show notes.
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In the same vein, sheer silk dresses in a palette of greens, blues, blacks and browns were the centre of attention in the house’s Winter 2023 collection. The colours were muted and accompanied by accents of head wraps and faux fur stoles. Suits were crafted from Crepe georgette and jackets from leather, another Saint Laurent staple, and were accompanied by a collection of jewellery that featured earrings and necklaces created out of brazen glass.
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Sat against the backdrop of the Eiffel Tower, the showroom was dark and moody, giving way to a sensual feel that has become synonymous with Vaccarello’s Saint Laurent. While a rich sandalwood scent impregnated the air, plush leather sofas lined the room.
Anthony Vaccarello’s Saint Laurent Winter 2024 Collection marries the house’s past with its present, where modern icons sit alongside iconic historical figures. Vaccarello is driving Saint Laurent into its future by marrying the past and present.