Anthony Vaccarello Is Injecting Attitude – and Fun – Into Saint Laurent

Pre-SS17, the designer talks a new Saint Laurent era.

It’s been a minute since Anthony Vaccarello assumed Saint Laurent’s Creative Director position – he’s the successor to the long-revered Hedi Slimane. It’s a big name to inherit and with hours until Vaccarello’s debut collection, the designer sat down with Vogue to talk the 24-hours pre-show.

Vaccarello isn’t intimidated – just humbled. He remarked about Saint Laurent’s illustrious background: “He did so many things, I don’t want to repeat the things he has done. It’s not about the garments, my idea of YSL lies in the attitude and how we handle things.”

Read an except below and head over to Vogue to catch the whole interview. Stay tuned – Vaccarello’s new mark is almost here.

What did you think it was important to say about your Saint Laurent debut—the mood, the idea, the attitude?
I wanted to have fun. I wanted to have a clin d’oeil—a wink—to Yves Saint Laurent, rather than. . . . He did so many things, I don’t want to repeat the things he has done. It’s not about the garments, my idea of YSL lies in the attitude and how we handle things. There are fabrics like leather, vinyl, velvet, lace, but then they’re put on a girl of today.
What was it like to meet Pierre Bergé?
It was amazing, very impressive—he is Yves Saint Laurent, he built Yves Saint Laurent, so knowing him, knowing all the stories around them, it’s so important. It would be impossible to start here without meeting him.
What did you chat about?
The first thing he told me, and I really had and have it in mind: Do not copy Yves Saint Laurent. That’s why I wanted to meet him, I wanted to know things, his opinion; it was important for me to hear that. That’s why I can’t be literal: even if I start with that one dress of his, you will never see that dress in the show, it’s always a wink to that dress. It’s also not the most famous dress he ever did—you would really have to know the story of Yves Saint Laurent to understand where the collection started, I think.
What does it mean to be coming into a house that is so iconic? Is it daunting? Or is that a stupid question to ask?
I’m trying to not think about it; just to see all the archives and the whole story of the house, your head can turn, but it’s important to go forward, to see what you can do with it, without copying the past. If you attempt to do the amazing things he did, the incredible things he brought to fashion, you will never re-create the past, so you always have to think of now for Yves Saint Laurent. It’s not even really thinking about the future with this house: it always has to be about the now.
What about the casting?
There was in the casting, a mix . . . I don’t like to say that it’s white, black. It is just the world of today. It’s not something I needed to do. It’s something I wanted to do. It is the reality of today, without being too political about it; it can seem forced when you talk about it. It’s just natural to have those women, who are amazing, no matter where they’re from. Obviously, YSL is a very iconic French house, everything is beautifully made—I’ve just looked at those samples! But we live in a world now where the definition of luxury is in a state of complete change.
How do you feel you need to express the luxury of Yves Saint Laurent now?
I think luxury shouldn’t look like “luxury” today. It’s about the finishing inside the clothes, or the quality of the fabric without it necessarily looking luxurious. It’s about the attitude of the girl, also, it is not necessarily the clothes; you can have a luxury T-shirt and luxury jeans with some really great accessories. You can find really good clothes everywhere now. It’s the attitude. You can look cheap or you can look luxurious because [laughs] you are cheap or you are luxurious.

Read Full Article