In Paris, Saint Laurent pares back as Balmain ups the flourishes

After a slew of designer debuts in Milan, the second day of Paris Fashion Week played host to shows from big brands who have had the same creative directors since 2016: Dior, helmed by Maria Grazia Chiuri, and Saint Laurent, designed by Anthony Vaccarello.

Both designers have honed a distinctive albeit very different style and made the houses their own, but this season there was something of a shift at Saint Laurent, the Kering-owed brand which reported revenues of €3.3bn last year.

The show, watched by Austin Butler, Kate Moss and Demi Moore, was staged at 8pm to catch the glamour of dusk turning to night and the illumination of the Eiffel Tower.

Talking about the collection in a backstage preview, Vaccarello said that he wanted to “start again. Go back to basics. In general a lot of things are very busy right now — so much decoration and embroidery — and I wanted Saint Laurent to be very clean, and to chart a new chapter.”

So instead of the exaggerated shoulders and shiny catsuits of previous seasons was a utilitarian element, albeit done in a very polished Saint Laurent way. Alongside, apparently, Saint Lauren’t 1967 safari collection, Vaccarello was inspired by early aviators Amelia Earhart and Adrienne Bolland and women doing traditionally male things. This idea was apparent in a parade of slightly slouchy cotton jumpsuits with large patch pockets, accessorised with leather belts as well as fitted leather flight hats.

Yves Saint Laurent first introduced jumpsuits to the label in 1968, to give women a sense of the confidence more often enjoyed by men, and that year he created a one-off safari jacket for Vogue that became a classic, having shown them on the catwalk in 1967.

So safari jackets were the other key piece, coming in earthy shades of sand, tan, chocolate and black, worn with straight matching trousers. Combat trousers continued the utility theme while knee-length cotton dresses also came with generous patch pockets. Vaccarello said of the length — one that hasn’t been as popular as midi and mini in recent years — that “I can’t do mini any more. I did so many, and I feel it’s wrong for me today.”

He added, “today I see a lot of things that look like Saint Laurent and I want to skip that and propose a new trend to be as clean and chic as possible. To be different from what is around you. No pretentious fabric, just cotton and linen. Fashion has changed a lot and today we don’t want any more of those too much looks.”

While the designs themselves were plenty wearable, they still had that Helmut Newton-esque provocative edge thanks to heavy gold bangles over leather gloves and silver earrings the size of playing cards. The daywear and maximal jewellery combination was a winner. While this wasn’t a radical collection — and there is already a well-publicised movement towards the understated in fashion via quiet luxury — it was a very desirable one.

At Dior, Maria Grazia Chiuri was also looking at female stereotypes around rebellious women who carved their own paths in a patriarchal world, saying “it’s very difficult to be free of stereotypes”. Pinned to her moodboard were images of Ingrid Bergman as Joan of Arc and Sorcières, a 1970s feminist magazine. Witches were also an inspiration, along with Christian Dior’s love of Tarot and his 1948 Abandon dress with a shoulder that appeared to be sliding off.

She worked with the artist Elena Bellantoni on a video installation projected on the interior walls of the show venue: a giant custom-built cube in the Tuileries Garden. Bellantoni’s pop-art style videos featured imagery of idealised housewives in sexist adverts, overlaid with feminist slogans.

One of the opening looks was a modern take on the Abandon dress, which also inspired shirts with one cold shoulder, a surprisingly successful proposal for easy eveningwear. There were utilitarian elements, seen in white denim shorts and matching jacket with sepia edges as if tea-dipped, and also pinafore dresses with a pattern incorporating moons, medicinal herbs and imaginary animals. Long dresses came in cobweb-like lace with trailing ribbons that evoked ghost-ship sails, while shoes veered between Mary-Janes with pearl-embellished straps that extended up the leg like a gladiator sandal, and heavy laced boots. It combined a lot of messages in one Witches Brew, but this darker version of Dior was an interesting one.

Unlike Chiuri, who shares her multi-faceted inspiration with her audience, The Row designers Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen presented their show without explanatory notes and rarely give interviews. It adds to the cool factor around their understated designs, which have made The Row one of the poster brands for quiet luxury.

This season elements of sportswear and pyjama dressing were added to quite a dressed-down collection. The silhouette was generally loose, with wide black trousers and culottes, and oversized white T-shirts worn with tunic dresses over the top. Parkas, ponchos and anoraks came in technical fabrics, layered over silk pyjama trousers or skirts, while many looks were teamed with slippers resembling the ones that come in hotel bathrooms. A white cotton strapless dress added to the sense of waking up in a hotel — perhaps a suite at New York’s Aman would suit someone with a budget for The Row.

You are probably more likely to see a unicorn on The Row catwalk than a busy print, but joyful pattern is one of Marni’s USPs and this season it took the form of checks and stripes. A check jacquard peacoat in shades of baby pink and blue was paired with pink-striped trousers and a check tank top, while a blue and brown check mini dress came with long striped socks. There were some nice pieces, but mini dresses with collaged cut-out roses seemed like a random addition.

Dries Van Noten is also known for pattern, but this season flashes of print, from daisy motifs to a trippy zigzag, were a quieter presence alongside skilful riffs on sportswear and relaxed tailoring. A striped men’s shirt was twisted into an evening top with one shoulder as seen at Dior — expect to see the cold shoulder shirt as a trend come spring.

The third day of Paris Fashion Week closed with a floral extravaganza courtesy of Balmain. In the middle of September a van carrying show looks from the airport to the Balmain headquarters was hijacked and more than 50 designs were stolen, which meant that an already exhausted design team had to make up for the lost outfits. It must have been a huge amount of work, given the intricacy of some of the more intensely decorative garments, such as a white polka-dot mini dress with exaggerated hips covered in three-dimensional beaded roses, or a red coat covered in glossy red roses. Saint Laurent’s Vaccarello may think fashion needs a palette cleanse, but it’s not happening at Balmain.

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