Menswear and Womenswear Become One in Saint Laurent's Fall/Winter 2023 Collection
The androgynous collection by Anthony Vaccarello redefines gendered boundaries with the utmost elegance.
With Saint Laurent’s Fall/Winter 2023 menswear resembling womenswear, and today’s womenswear mirroring men’s, Saint Laurent is leaving gendered fashion behind. Anthony Vaccarello, the brand’s creative director, spoke of this transformation last January: “I really want them to be almost one person,” he explained. “So women could be the men, and the men could be the women. No difference. I want more and more to put them at the same level. No distinction.”
This sentiment was evident in the shoulder-padded skirt suit sets that appeared throughout the collection. Jackets were adorned with pocket squares and paired with tops of deep plunging necklines, creating a bare chested, androgynous look. The suiting’s sober appearance was softened with sheer fabrics and increasingly elongated cape-like silhouettes that grazed the floor by the end of the show. Scarves draped Grecian style across the chest offered an element of intrigue, but its most impressive application emerged in Look 46 with a neckline that could be considered bateau, had it not hung off one side of the shoulder. This novel use of draping and asymmetry was a major strength of the collection.
True to form for Saint Laurent, the color palette of navy, gray, and deep merlot was mostly somber, but did occasionally pick up warmth with the use of red tartan, camel, and chocolate brown. Pointed heels and aviator sunglasses appeared uniformly on models throughout while most accessory variation came in the form of leather gloves and jewelry. The metallic sheen of wide wrist cuffs, hoop earrings, and anklets over tights added a sophistication to oversized coach’s jackets in black leather. This blending of the ordinary, the elegant, and the dark was a compelling continuation of Saint Laurent’s menswear, thus fulfilling Vaccarello’s genderless dream.