Dear Diane and Shaded Viewers,
Hedi Slimane is a genius. He’s known for creating a real show, which this season was made up of rock music, palmtree-printed seating and YSL logo confetti. It seems like Saint Laurent Paris is now setting up camp in Los Angeles. Frayed flannelette shirts, grandpa jumpers and sweet doll-like dresses felt put together mid-hangover and then swapped around between the gender-irrelevant models at the pre-show party.
But the clothing isn’t point here; it’s distinctly un-special. The garments feel found, perhaps even at a We-Ho yard sale. But how does this fit with one of the oldest French luxury houses, you might ask? The way Slimane has manoeuvred this aesthetic into exceptional sales. It’s his showmanship, styling and branding that has made serious money, and that’s all that matters in the end, right?
In a way, he’s created the most relevant form of luxury for young people. While everyone else might think you have that effortless ‘I don’t care’ attitude, and assume you’re wearing clothing found at markets, vintage stores and maybe even a little TopShop, you're actually wearing total look YSL. It's so hidden and personal somehow, until of course you get a close look at the fabrics and finishings. It’s intellectual luxury for kids who can afford to not give a fuck.
When this aesthetic is used as a master rebranding strategy of a heritage house, in the end when there’s not much to see in terms of garments, I’m starring at exactly that – a strategy. In the same way that everyone in LA seems to have that blinding double-barrel white smile, YSL-A feels a little disingenuous.
(Images courtesy of nowfashion.com)
Happy Tuesday,
Sophie
