Paris Fashion Week Spring 2013: Thoughts on Hedi Slimane’s debut for Saint Laurent

Today’s debut of Hedi Slimane for Saint Laurent cast a strange shadow over the entire day. Nothing else seemed to matter. Not Stella McCartney’s micropleated dresses with large blobs of blue, green or orange. Not Clare Waight Keller’s layered tunics and pleated ruffles. Not the sequinned Rorschach splashes on Roger Vivier’s platform mules. Not even Louis Vuitton’s new fine jewelry collection inspired by the locks lovers leave on bridges.

Everyone was counting the hours, waiting for Hedi.

Finally the front row of the Grand Palais filled. Marc Jacobs. Alber Elbaz. Riccardo Tisci. Kate Moss. Salma Hayek. Jessica Chastain.

Historic? You got that right.

And Hedi Slimane clearly knew it because straight to the history books he went, studying Yves Saint Laurent’s safari tunic, sheer blouses and smokings and giving them a ‘70s rock-tinged update. The leitmotif of this collection was the scarf bow—he tied it over white blouses, fringed suede jackets, mullet dresses, sheer capes and a slim lace column.

Immediate reaction has been mixed. Too boho, some say. Not cutting edge, huff others.

But we need to get Hedi Slimane’s take on this, and see beyond the floppy hats and other runway tricks to the finer details. And then we need to give him more than one collection to find his footing.

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