1956, Paris, France. A shy, nervous young man walks into the office of the most renown fashion couturiers of all times. He is carefully holding a stack of papers with fashion sketches he drew a few days earlier. His hands are trembling… he doesn’t quite realize how he end up here? Surely it must be a dream. His eyes glitter with excitement, admiration and a touch of fear… He hopes for nothing more than a few minutes of Christian Dior’s attention… It will indeed be just a few minutes… a few magic minutes that will dramatically alter the course of fashion history. The name of the young man was Yves Henri Donat Mathieu-Saint Laurent.
A year later, following Dior’s death, Yves would become the head designer of the house. Shortly after his appointment, this 22 year old wizard would reveal his first couture collection that virtually saved the Dior house from bankruptcy. Yet, for Saint Laurent this vertiginous rise to the peak of the fashion Olympus was simply an entrance to the world of couture. Yves would soon create an empire of his own that will define the grounds for modern day femininity. He will go on building an aesthetic universe unlike any other where women can step into reality, set the stage to their own liking and play a lead part with no expectation for approval and no need for an audience.
Fast forward half a century later, Yves Saint Laurent is still one of the major forces in the fashion world. Currently curated and owned by the second largest luxury goods conglomerate in the world, this iconic brand is experiencing a remarkable growth. Today I would like to explore the creative path Yves Saint Laurent followed throughout the years, the philosophy behind his legacy and the social context that largely contributed to the overall success of the brand.
The Beginning
In 1961 shortly after his departure from Dior, Yves Saint Laurent and his partner Piere Berge founded the eponymous brand. For Yves, the search of his artistic voice started with an instant success – the Mondrian Collection. The items were inspired by the work of several modernistic artists. A sharper version of the trapeze cut he promoted at Dior coupled with the revolutionary color solution turned the YSL brand into a worldwide phenomenon.
Yves quickly capitalized on his success by launching the first prêt-à-porter collection that turned out to be extremely popular and profitable. Soon after that, he launched the Safari Collection. The effortlessly chic pieces that were casual and understated resonated widely with the European market and laid the ground for one of the most radical steps ever taken in the history of fashion – the creation of the Smoking.
A New Era – Le Smoking
YSL’s artistic identity was fully crystallized when he turned the fashion world on its head with the release of Le Smoking. The tuxedo for women marked the beginning of the whole new era in fashion mostly, because it was not at all about fashion…. It was about sensitive subjects, social norms, taboos and the role of women in society. The photos taken by Helmut Newton and published in the French Vogue in 1975 created a great deal of confusion amongst customers and critics alike. The calm poise of the image presented below is contrasted by the subconscious outrage that the viewer must have experienced looking at it back in 1975… in fact, it’s fairly safe to assume that many people would still experience a similar feeling today.
First and foremost, a woman in a tuxedo is exhibiting a form of power and self-possession that she was traditionally deprived of… her masculine, relaxed pose with a cigarette in her hand is insinuating a level of comfort with her role which is effortless, innate and to some degree frightening. The woman in the background brings the concept to a different level because she symbolizes an exaggerated depiction of her traditional self… humble and vulnerable… yet in the context of the composition she only amplifies the message tenfold. The setting – a tiny Parisian street – is a subtile suggestion that this scene captures the everyday life that is very much real and will continue evolving regardless of anyone’s approval.
The multiple levels of genius embedded in this image safely transcended several decades and became the bedrock of the Yves Saint Laurent’s stylistic DNA. I must say that it is rather saddening and quite unbelievable that some 43 years later this image is still – a little bit ahead of its time… That also shows how incredibly far reaching and robust the Yves Saint Laurent legacy is.
It is also worth pointing out that the brilliance of the Saint Laurent’s vision does not boil down to dressing a woman in a tuxedo and stilettos. No, it’s significantly more than that. His genius comes from his ability to amplify a woman’s confidence, sexuality and femininity by radically changing the prism of her own perception. By letting HER choose the prism she considers appropriate. By giving her the right to be whomever she wants to be, and yet, remain a woman.
Search of New Identity
Throughout the 90s and 2000s the brand was facing a gradual but palpable decline. The new collections, although still somewhat popular were received with mixed reviews and on certain occasions rough criticism. YSL was suddenly deemed as boring… the extreme popularity of the brand had a peculiar effect of creating an army of copycats that exhausted the uniqueness of the ideas and the original concept was lost in the noise. As a result of these struggles in 2002 Yves finally stepped down from his role as lead designer of the Couture line.
After the tragic death of Yves Saint Laurent, a succession of three Creative Directors, a questionable re-branding strategy and several years of inconsistent financial performance, Kering announced in 2016 that Anthony Vaccarello is becoming the new Creative Director of Yves Saint Laurent brand. This has to be one of the best moves imaginable because from what I can see, Vaccarello is absolutely killing it. One collection after another he consistently delivered the perfect combination of YSL edge, sexiness and class all wrapped in a modern adaption of the quintessential brand DNA. Of course that eventually translated in the astonishing financial performance of the past few quarters (particularly pronounced in North America: 27.5% in the last quarter)
A curious moment in the Vaccarello’s tenure is the controversy surrounding one of his campaigns. The picture was received with a great deal of hostility from the usually open minded Parisian public. It was labeled as sexist, demeaning and degrading to women. While I don’t necessarily like the image (and i suspect that Yves might have turned in his grave) I also have multiple reasons to disagree with that position.
First and foremost, looking at this picture I involuntarily recall my Instagram feed… quite frequently it will display women posing in ways that are far more provocative than this. I also suspect that the outrage did not come from the angle of the camera, or the weight of the model. I believe that the reaction to the ad was so strong because the model is not trying to be seductive, or alluring to the observer… she is NOT for sale. She is there, wearing a rather peculiar outfit, calmly looking into the camera and basically not giving a damn. THAT is what’s truly disturbing. Her being comfortable with her awkwardness and the ridiculousness of her pose…. it’s as if she’s saying “if you don’t like it, just keep walking. I’m not here for you.”
In one of his interviews Karl Lagerfeld famously stated “When you start to criticize the times you live in, your time is over.” I think that Vaccarello’s success is partly explained by his ability to embrace his time while simultaneously holding on to the YSL DNA. He is not questioning the ways of the world, he is simply building upon them. What makes it easier of course is that the modern attitudes are very much compatible (if not fully aligned) with some of the core concepts of the YSL philosophy. In a way, the ability to interpret Vaccarello’s message indicates our level of readiness. And it looks like some of us are still not ready… because the idea that an overt display of female sexuality is not in any way demeaning, is still foreign to many. Whereas the fact that it can co-exist with purpose, intelligence and ambition is perceived as paradox.
And to the point of paradoxes, I believe the reconciliation of two seemingly opposite concepts is precisely what makes the Yves Saint Laurent brand so unique and powerful. On one end of the spectrum it’s the intense, cunning sexuality expressed in lace, leather and daring mini skirts. On the other end of the spectrum is the confident edgy masculinity expressed in the famous tuxedo that signals a natural level of comfort with adversity and power. The message here is that a woman has the right to express either of these facets without being judged or compartmentalized…. perhaps a message so simple is so difficult to accept, because each of these facets is rather threatening on its own, whereas the combination of the two can be quite lethal.
Context
It’s obvious that the recent success of the brand is largely supported by a shift in social dynamics. A new set of attitudes and a focus on modern day feminism is definitely a major supporting factor. Hollywood too is playing along, particularly as of late. Movies such as Miss Sloane, House of Cards and the last two installments of the Mission Impossible franchise are depicting women that embody the true YSL vision. And it’s not just the movies. Slowly but surely the Elizabeth Sloane(s), Claire Underwood(s) and Ilsa Faust(s) of this world are stepping up and making their presence known.
Of course, the romance and the ladylike demeanor of our closets is not going anywhere. In fact in the past decade it has experienced a rather curious boomerang effect where we seek to re-create a seemingly lost balance. Perhaps that would explain why brands such a Dior, Carolina Herrera and Elie Saab are not simply thriving but rapidly expanding their empires? And despite that, Saint Laurent’s vision is here to stay. The backbone of our wardrobes that empowers without trading one ounce of femininity remains unmatched both in style and execution. With an unconceivable cluster of elegance, silent confidence, simplicity and edge, YSL is still the most powerful fashion ally, even more so in the ruthless corporate world. It’s a surprisingly effective, yet subtitle credible threat that will grant respect and fair play where neither are to be expected and much less, taken for granted.
Legacy
Not long before his death Yves said “Coco Chanel freed women. I empowered them.” That quote is a very good summary of everything that happened in the fashion world during the past century. In my books, Chanel and Saint Laurent are the most influential designers of all times, with the only difference that Yves is, was and will always remain my absolute favorite… It is therefore with great joy that I witness the revival and the overwhelming success of the brand under the creative guidance of Anthony Vaccarello.
I am holding my breath awaiting for the next chapter in the story of the timeless Yves Saint Laurent woman. Half a century ago, she was a vision, a dream, an abstract concept that had no space, no setting to thrive or to the very least be understood… In many ways she was forced to hide, confused, fearful and reluctant to grasp the consequences of her independence. Today I know – she’s not just fiction. Because today she is quietly, purposefully breaking through the chaos. The Yves Saint Laurent woman who has been walking on the sharp edge of reality for decades has finally mastered the peculiar balancing act between her inconspicuous past and her brilliant future. Yves, that future is no longer an illusion or a dream… it’s no longer a decoration made of textiles. That brilliant future you envisaged is finally here. That future is now.
Retail Therapy 