This article first appeared in Harper’s Bazaar Singapore, the leading fashion glossy on the best of style, beauty, design, travel and the arts. Go to harpersbazaar.com.sg and follow @harpersbazaarsg on Instagram; harpersbazaarsingapore on Facebook. The September 2023 issue is out on newsstands now.
SINGAPORE – Half a century ago, Yves Saint Laurent created his iconic Le Smoking and changed womenswear forever. The menswear-inspired tuxedo was first a scandal, and then quickly a sensation.
Now, his successor Anthony Vaccarello is channelling that contrarian spirit and doing the inverse – applying the language of Saint Laurent’s womenswear into menswear. This meant silk and chiffon blouses, giant pussybows, floor-sweeping coats and vertiginously heeled boots.
For years, Saint Laurent menswear has felt like, if not an afterthought, then just a commercial continuation of the skinny rock-god aesthetic put in place by Hedi Slimane.
It was not until Vaccarello tapped the inherent femininity at the heart of the brand that his menswear finally clicked.
He is not the only designer who has sensed this shift in the air.
The interesting thing is that it is the world’s biggest brands and most established designers who are keying into this new, more feminine mood for menswear.
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