Last night Anthony Vaccarello mounted his Spring/Summer 2022 menswear collection for Saint Laurent - the Kering-owned brand he’s creatively helmed since 2016 - on Venice’s verdant island of La Certosa, a short boat ride away from the centre of the city.
The backdrop, steeped in history, felt a suitable setting for the collection, which was layered, like a medieval tapestry, with deliciously gothic pieces (think billowing satin capes, slim-cut monochromatic suits, and billowing satin shirts with pussy bows and piecrust collars).
Moody, edgy and not a little witchy, the collection had shades of the 1973 Venice-based horror film Don’t Look Now about it, with lashings of snails and puppy dogs tails thrown in for good measure.
During his five-year tenure at Saint Laurent, Vaccarello has worked hard to define his specific brand of Gallic cool. Where Hedi Slimane before him specialised in elevating classic menswear basics (razor-edged peacoats, crotch-crushingly skinny jeans, body-con tuxedos), Vaccarello has, in recent seasons, moved in an eerier direction.
For Spring/Summer 2022 the mood reached its spooky zenith. Gauzy chemises in pastel hues were worn with thigh-clinging lamé trousers, capacious satin pyjama suits came teamed with metallic babouche slippers, and densely embroidered waistcoat-cum-doublets were paired with double-wrap belts, like suits of sartorial armour. On most feet, ultra-pointed leather sabatons were finished with eyelet fastenings.
It’s arguable that the collection felt quite so edgy because the ultra-sharp tailoring which walked the sun-drenched runway was at such aesthetic odds with the stuffy, fluffy, cosy stuff we’ve all been wearing day in day out for the past year and a half – but it’s an argument we’ve made ad nauseum, so we won’t make it again, for fear of being cursed.
In a futuristic contrast to the vêtements anciens that stalked the show, the runway was mounted within a large-scale installation by American artist Doug Aitken. Titled “Green Lens”, the mirrored structure – like a cooler take on The Crystal Maze – reflected the lush botanical environment planted around it.
“The idea of the collaboration with Doug Aitken started from my wish to combine creative disciplines across art and fashion to merge different fields’ artistic visions in a unique artwork. Everything starts from mutual respect and admiration; the rest is a natural consequence,” Vaccarello told us following the show. “What is important to me is to be able to shape my vision. I naturally respect the brand history and its archive, as it has been part of my own vision since ever, so it becomes naturally consistent.”
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