Saint Laurent Men's Fall/Winter 2015

Hedi Slimane's tenure at the house of Yves Saint Laurent has been a hotbed of controversy since he took the reins back in 2012. At first, he changed the name and reverted it back to just Saint Laurent; the initial name of the rive gauche prêt-à-porter line when it was launched in the 1960s. After that, he changed the identity of the Saint Laurent man and woman completely. Gone was the elegant, sophisticated bourgeois person and instead, this was replaced by what looked like a prepubescent teenager with too much money to spend. The fashion world was outraged. The question on everyone's mind was "how dare he?!". Meanwhile, Mr Slimane just stood still, did not give any interviews and didn't even bother addressing any of the concerns of the fashion populace except of course for his infamous rant against former New York Times fashion critic Cathy Horyn. It has been over 2 years since his first collection, so what has changed?

With his latest menswear collection for the house, Mr Slimane has changed very little. The clothes look very similar to his previous collections that it is even hard to tell them apart. The models; still slim, rock and roll teenage looking persons. What has changed however, is the perception of the vision he has insisted on the fashion world. When he started, there was great worry as to why he would decide to backtrack to his last days at Dior Homme especially considering what he did at YSL in the late 1990s. Back then, YSL menswear had no identifiable image. Mr Slimane came in and changed that. He revolutionised menswear with his incredibly slim silhouette and crisp tailoring. It was new, and fresh. When he moved over to Dior and did the same identity revamp; he continued with this sophisticated approach until a few years before his departure where the clothes had a more savage and younger feel to them. Still, it was some sort of fresh air. But when he left, its residual effects could only last so long that by the time he came back and tried it again, it looked stale. Despite this, he has managed to create convincing pieces that do incredibly well in retail and that's precisely what this collection is all about.

By now, one has to judge a Saint Laurent collection based on the individual pieces because the look is always the same, with slight variations here and there; although with this outing there were references to French artists and mimes. A great number of exquisitely desirable coats in terribly expensive materials were present. There was a crocodile coat that I imagine will cost a fortune, and then there was a pink mink coat that will also take a toll on many a bank account. But there were other compelling pieces that were not just focused on the fabric to emphasise their luxury but also on the craftsmanship. Mr Slmiane is known for his use of couture like embroideries and embellishments in his menswear pieces. These too, were present here. The red bomber jacket and the gold and black blazer which closed the show showcased such works. Then there were the trousers which were quintessential Hedi; slim, tight flamboyant limiters of movement aka the Hedi trousers.

The one look that triumphed all in my opinion, consisted of a grand sized cape, white shirt, slim leather tie and Hedi trousers. It was an ode to the elegant nature of the maison; an aspect of the house that seems to have been completely eclipsed by this current direction. For what it was, it was indeed a great collection with pieces that are sure to do well in retail; and that's what he was employed to do anyway. However, as a contribution to the discussion of the evolution of menswear, it left a lot to be desired. 

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photos: Style.com