Saint Laurent SS19

It’s not easy for a designer to make a mark on a legacy sixty years in the making, even if Anthony Vaccarello makes it look like a breeze, armed with enough originality to thread through 95 looks. His tactful disobedience has allowed him to toy with codes that might otherwise seem sacrilegious; sharp Le Smoking lines now sit louche or in disarray, while wispy silk chiffon blouses pair with brief black lambskin shorts, rather than the sweeping wide legs of Studio 54.

But besides bringing new flavor to old favorites, Vaccarello pens his own vision for a house as much concerned with hedonism and sexual politics as it was curious for culture and knowledge. Count in the new gen the little blue dress, its cobalt-colored suede smattered with silver stars and a bow bigger than the blunt bandeau body it backs. There’s one thing this designer does better than most, and that’s a pithy provocation. His teasing treats us to the joys of tailoring and chain mail: a glitzy diamante lattice top barely veils the breasts beneath, but hangs over the stern curve of a high waisted mini skirt. That something so brazenly tantalizing would be equipped with pockets seems absurd, the sensible detail inviting an aloof gait. It all seems to revel in the power of one notion: the sheer obscenity you can get away with if you have the right posture. That’s not a bad homage to Saint Laurent.