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There was a lot of skin on display at Saint Laurent’s Winter 2024 collection… Or was there? This season, creative director Anthony Vaccarello diverged from Spring 2024, which redefined femininity through a sensual utilitarianism, favouring a more stripped-down, dressed-up look. Fixating on translucent silhouettes rendered in infinite configurations, he reminds us of what once was at the centre of fashion by rendering it invisible: clothes.
Close-fitting silk dresses reminiscent of undergarments simultaneously expose and blur the body. Separates and dresses sit modestly below the knee and extend to long sleeves but don’t run any risk of modesty. Evoking the infamous ‘naked’ gown worn by Marilyn Monroe—a frequent reference for the maison—Winter 2024 challenged ideas of what it means to be provocative in simply dressing.
Though sheer details and drapery are staples in Vaccarello’s world, this collection was almost entirely see-through. The effect is an intimate sense of closeness between garment and wearer, where it’s not always easy to gauge where fabric ends and skin begins.
With a runway mimicking the streets after rain, deep green velvet curtains coating the walls and supple couches for guests to watch from, the show was evocative of a glamourous winter’s night out in Paris. But save for some lush, marabou-feathered outerwear, cocooned leather peacoats and some coordinating blazers in crepe georgette, looks were more about what was underneath the coat.
Coming down the runway in a powdery palette of camel tones, earthy blues, varied browns and a deep red, pencil skirts, whispy blouses, and dresses clung confidently to the body, moving with it like a second skin and never hinting at frailty.
Accessories were minimal but packed a punch with brazen glass bangles and earrings stacked on arms and ears, appearing like moulds more than jewellery.
While many designers this season have chosen a more sober path, Vaccarello instead leans into the fantasy of fashion. “I wanted to propose something that hadn’t been done before that would get me excited,” he told the press backstage. “My job isn’t always to do something that’s real or realistic.”
