Continuing on his now well-trodden path, Hedi Slimane once again stayed in his comfort zone of designing a collection of clothing for rock and roll chicks, preferably coming from Los Angeles, who don’t give a flying you know what.
The same could be said for Slimane. With a laser like focus he has ignored the critics and carried on whipping up mini leather skirts, slim suits, perfectos and tuxedo jackets to be consumed by the fashion elite. And if the rumors are true those- let’s call them the Debbie Harry staples-are actually selling pretty well.
If there was a variation on the designer’s MO this time around it was that he took the Saint Laurent brand, if ever so slightly, back to Yves ; crediting the “artwork” of the collection to the foundation Pierre Berge- Yves Saint Laurent in the show notes. Most prominently this showed up in the collection as a lip print motif that Slimane fashioned into a sequined single puff shouldered top and a mini wrap front dress, which caused more than a few people (those who had not been able to read the monosyllabic program notes in the dark venue) to think he was actually riffing on a Diane Von Furstenberg design.
Whatever the case may be it was the first time since Slimane’s debut a show where the work of the founder felt the most present in the collection. Besides those lips, the designer reworked the famed tuxedo pantsuit into a black jumpsuit with its lapels making a V line almost down to the navel, he offered up some sheer shirts, and the strong shoulders used on a number of shimmering short dresses and jackets arguably could be referencing the proportions of the famed 1940s Yves Saint Laurent collection.
For the past few seasons fashion journalist have been wishing, begging for, Slimane to try and inject some of the Saint Laurent’s codes into his ready to wear collections. And it looks as if, as far as that goes, the designer is listening.
But unfortunately this collection falls into the “be careful what you wish for” category.