What is fashion? Several seasons into it, that question again swirled around the exiting throng at Hedi Slimane’s fashion show for Saint Laurent.
Moodwise: cute, young, rock ’n’ roll, a little vulgar, with arch, sky-high platforms that felt dated beyond the presentation’s obvious, intended retro. Clotheswise, an unmistakable merch message: jacket; short, flirty dress or skirt; and for those who dare, short shorts — and a girl’s good to go. Good to go in what were, piece-by-piece, some appealing clothes.
Slimane’s item of the season is a short jacket. Based on two classics — the jeans and motorcycle jacket — it came in a multitude of versions: black leather, green leather, patchwork suede, snake, band-leader red. Ditto his saucy, full-skirted dresses. They came printed with cherries, stars and flowers, and in numerous takes on the LBD. Some charmed; some telegraphed, “Hello, Mr. West Side Highway.”
They didn’t telegraph luxury (though the tailoring and embroideries in particular looked well-made), at least not in the traditional sense. These were kids’ clothes luxed up for the designer customer. Nor did they show any sense of Slimane’s perspective as a designer beyond his continuing literal embrace of retro motifs. And, if the returns from his brief tenure at the house run constant, it will all sell like mad.
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So back to the question: What is fashion, fashion at the designer level, runway-worthy fashion? Is it the clothes themselves? Should designers at the highest reaches of ready-to-wear do more than retread? Do they have a responsibility to do more? Or is fashion now about the aura surrounding a designer and/or brand, with the clothes beside the point? After the show, the Saint Laurent p.r. office e-mailed show notes to some editors. It covered invitation artwork (Robert Heinecken); music (an irritating original ditty by Aleide); hair and makeup (Didier Malige and Aaron De Mey) and set design and styling (Hedi Slimane). Typically when a brand bothers with show notes, there’s something included about the clothes — the inspiration, the mood, something. Not this time.