Saint Laurent Paris Spring/Summer 2018 Menswear - Second Pictorial - A Review, Analysis and Opinion

Ain't Laurent without... Hedi?

View the online pictorial here.

Overall

The Parisian fashion house Saint Laurent recently launched the second part of their Spring/Summer Menswear Campaign a few days ago.  Under the creative direction of Anthony Vaccarello, this marks 2 years since his debut at the house, taking the reins from fashion meme-lord and messiah of skinny jeans, Hedi Slimane.

The collection showcases a wide range of summer looks (duh), drawing a majority of inspiration from the Bohemian chic trend that flooded your Pinterest boards 3 years ago.  Remember beaded bracelets, rolled linen and leather fringes?  Because Vaccarello does.

The collection still sticks to the essential SLP aesthetic - pretty much formulaic at this point.  But without the heroin-chic context behind it, it seems to fall flat in Vaccarello's rendition of the house's 2018 summer collection.

Expect to see: 
- Polka dots
- Drainpipe skinny jeans
- Vertical stripes (Now, in 1 easy step anyone can be 6'5!)

To be fair, I'm digging into him a bit too much.  Vaccarello has introduced some new items to the Saint Laurent arsenal; whether they're good or bad additions is another can of worms.
For example, Saint Lauren't entry to the w i d e b o i aesthetic comes in the form of pleated wide trousers with a sash detailing - looking like it was born from a Craig Green fever dream.

And peep the distinct lack of Wyatt boots in the collection - deliberately not including the piece that defined Hedi-era Saint Laurent.  It seems Vaccarello is instead pushing some boho shoe choices, like leather strapped sandals, as well as another rendition of the Saint Laurent Court Classic - a truly \\ m i n i m a l \\ sneaker.  Now, the last thing you want in your Saint Laurent shoe is your foot fungus, but as it turns out - okay I'll stop.  In all honesty, this footwear choice is actually kinda tight, I dig gladiator sandals - but in the wake of Demna's chunky shoe revolution, I doubt these sandals are gonna make waves.  People seem to only be going bigger and bigger (sigh).

Looks I Liked

There are some quintessential Saint Laurent looks here, very reminiscent of Hedi-era SLP.  For example, Look 35 is very "safe" in terms of what we expect to see from the brand.  A white denim jacket, a textured top underneath it, and skinny black pants.  A formulaic look for sure, but it's still something I like to see.

Look 22 is my favorite though, for sure.  Taking a page from Ann D, Vaccarello has introduced a sort of belted shirt, with a fabric belt wrapping around the back of it.  I'm a sucker for fabric detailing, and this one is a refreshing change of pace from the clean white shirts seen in every season.

Look 22

Look 35

My Personal (PERSONAL) Opinion

Overall, I can't say I hate the clothes. It's very Saint Laurent, and I fucks with that. But it's just that. It's JUST Saint Laurent - this shit was new in 2015, it's not new in 2018. Years ago I would have said that Sandro seemed like Saint Laurent but with a lighter color palette, but this collection I would describe as the opposite.  Without the rocker story behind it, the clothes have lost its context.  The house has become a derivative of itself - you could slap a fat ZARA logo over this collection and I wouldn't have noticed. 

Vaccarello, I gotta say your menswear has disappointed me. For someone who's put out such a killer womenswear show, your menswear show is just lacking. Stop with the Hedi derivatives, stop with the boho aesthetic, and carve out a real story for Vaccarello's Saint Laurent.

Again, I'm not gonna rank this shit since fuck that, but I will say this:

#CELINEBOYS2018 FUCK WHAT THEY SAY HEDIBOYS ARE BACK