The little black book that designer Hedi Slimane gives out each season, as the invitation for his Saint Laurent shows, is a portable mood board of sorts. And this time, if the images in the booklet are to be believed, Slimane was in a naughty state of mind.
When the show got underway there was a certain wantonness about the collection. Between the soundtrack which consisted of a French singer talking ad nauseam about wanting to have sex, and all the deep scoop neck tops, navel grazing short dresses and short shorts – all of which offered easy access to erogenous zones - Slimane was giving a pretty clear sexually charged message.
Of course he did it vicariously though his favorite era-the 70s. But unlike in recent past collections his rebelious party crowd got a bit more glammed up. A lot more sequined jackets, turbans, halter tops and dresses showed up on the catwalk this time around. And the introduction of floral motifs on a number of the short and sexy looks gave a slightly uneasy under age vibe to the designs.
The accessories of this show will once again serve Slimane well. Bet on platform shoes showing up on a myriad of other catwalks next season, both in the shows and in the front rows. Fashion muse Catherine Baba might have to come up with a new fetish head piece seeings as Slimane has now claimed the turban for his followers. And a white fur chubby that only covered a single arm and shoulder had a gaggle of models sitting in the front row point and gasp with desire. So count on that piece selling out asap.
The biggest disappointment of this show was actually the mise-en-scène. The black on black seating, in a pitched black room is just a tad sadist. Show guest kept bruising their legs bumping (or falling over) the wooden benches. Also it might be nice to consider implementing a raised seating system so people who were not honored with a front row seat can still enjoy the Saint Laurent show they flew here to Paris to see.