Saint Laurent Spring 2016 ready-to-wear collection is a mix of designer Hedi Slimanes Downtown Los Angeles sensibility and Saint Laurents Parisian couture heritage. The diverse collection, called Saint Laurent Skin, was inspired by 90s-era grunge. Courtney Love was at the show and may very well have been Slimanes muse for this season.
The collection featured oversized distressed denim, leather and shag jackets, bold camouflage and animal prints, and barely-there slip dresses in a variety of sequins, lace, and net. Models were styled in minimal no-makeup makeup, and lightly ruffled natural hair topped with kitschy princess tiaras. The casual looks were finished with music festival-ready knee-high rubber boots. The final 15 looks veered sharply towards grown-up couture with silky, slinky, spaghetti-strapped evening dresses predominantly in black. Nevertheless, the Slimanes ideology of casual high fashion was clear in the laidback styling and lack of embellishments.
In an interview with Yahoo! Style, Slimane said that his inspiration to design a wearable and laidback ready-to-wear line comes directly from Saint Laurents vision for his namesake brand; this is a direct rebuke to critics who feel that Slimane has taken Saint Laurent in a radically new direction with his focus on youth and music culture. Either way, the “Saint Laurent Skin” collection proves that Slimane is comfortable and confident in his own skin with his vision for Saint Laurent.
Photos: Vogue
