The tubular sheath worn by the great Martha Graham for her 1930 choreography Lamentation – enveloping the body from head to toe– had a profound impact on visual culture and fashion, an influence that rippled far beyond the world of dance and across time.
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It is evident in numerous collections by Yves Saint Laurent – from the hooded, diaphanous chiffon dresses he made for a collaboration with Claude Lalanne in 1969 to the indelible modernity of Spring Summer Haute Couture 1985, when a prolongation of fabric over the model’s head lent a casual connotation to several looks. Even the house founder’s last show, fall winter Haute Couture 2002, reprised the theme.
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These precedents – especially Yves’ hooded ‘capuche’ pieces from the mid-1980s, which established an iconic key motif for the brand – provided a pivotal point of reference for Anthony Vaccarello as he set out to combine, for the Summer 2023, an essential attitude with the ultra-refined, elongated silhouette presented last season.
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Radical fluidity defines the collection, expressed through silk jersey knits. Floor-length dresses evince an elegant ease, balanced with masculine outerwear quintessentially Saint Laurent by Vaccarello: wool coats with strong shoulders as well as leather bombers and trenches. Sumptuously muted colors hark back to signature Saint Laurent moments, while legs are bare yet concealed by a relentlessly columnar silhouette. A sheer tank dress, cashmere pants, and pajama-inspired satin looks exemplify the sophisticated effortlessness that runs through the collection, juxtaposed to potent effect with sculptural wood and gold jewelry.
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The set, an essence of Paris, distilled and exaggerated to a cinematic scale: the terraces, fountains and views of the iridescent city – a sublime backdrop for Vaccarello’s evolving vision.
