Saint Laurent F/W 13.14 Paris

[almudena]

i think you underestimate the high fashion clientele a bit... when you're dropping these kind of prices you kind of pay attention to things like who's the designer.. especially as a parisian you should know better hedi's take over and subsequent SLP shows have been covered by almost every media including national TV.. France's first lady even attended the last 2 shows.. obviously your average chav might have no clue who slimane is but you would be surprised the amount of people way outside of fashionistas or industry insiders that have knowledge of who he is.. i don't want to mystify the man but he's pretty notorious..

Yeah.... but the average Parisian customer is not French
... nor Parisian

 

[TianCouture]

Wait, where are people actually seeing this collection, in a physical sense? Has it been made available to tFS users? Are some of you with the press or buyers? I'm being mildly sarcastic, but It seems outré that some members have actually, physically viewed this collection? At a press day presentation? I do not understand how people are saying they've seen this collection? Is that a joke, saying that you've seen this a million times before and have thus touched similar collections to SL FW'13? Or are you just looking for fuel to strengthen your argument?

 

[Thefrenchy]

i think you underestimate the high fashion clientele a bit... when you're dropping these kind of prices you kind of pay attention to things like who's the designer..

If only most of the "high fashion clientele" knew about all this... If only...

hedi's take over and subsequent SLP shows have been covered by almost every media including national TV..

Not because he's Hedi Slimane, but because he took over one of France's most prestigious fashion houses...

France's first lady even attended the last 2 shows..

She/her husband are friends with Berge, you do the math. She's certainly not here for her love of Slimane and grunge fashion

 

[Moofins]

....and I'm dead. I kind of feel the same, but I think people are talking about it so much though, because it taps into the really thin line between the brand (+brand loyalty) and the actual designs of the brand (+their subjective quality).

Since Gus Van Sant was brought up as a reference point for the timeliness of this collection, then I believe it was only logical to point out who should be considered the contemporary of the potential clientele of this collection., especially since it's clamoring for authenticity.

Is it even worth discussing (and defending) this show in so much depth? It ain't James Joyce's Ulysses...

 

[Izreal]

She/her husband are friends with Berge, you do the math. She's certainly not here for her love of Slimane and grunge fashion

i've got zero interest in talking politics...my point was simply you had to be living under a rock to not have followed the press coverage that extended way outside of fashion circles..

@tiancouture: yes i've seen it first hand.. i'm not a fashion insider but i know someone who knows someone...don't ask me for specifics i actually had to sign a NDA believe it or not..

 

[frk-frost]

Ugh, I think it's a terrible collection

 

[TianCouture]

Okay, I won't ask for specifics...

 

[lmelanie]

I can't believe there is this much debate over a collection. It's fueling PR thats for sure.

 

[fashionista-ta]

i've got zero interest in talking politics...my point was simply you had to be living under a rock to not have followed the press coverage that extended way outside of fashion circles..

@tiancouture: yes i've seen it first hand.. i'm not a fashion insider but i know someone who knows someone...don't ask me for specifics i actually had to sign a NDA believe it or not..

i wish kate's a$$ had to sign an nda ...

 

[Mathewthew]

I think Suzy is the only one who embrace his new direction and his collection. She also said according to the Japanese newspaper the Senken Shimbun, leading buyers say that Saint Laurent is now soaring to the top of the list of customer choices. Regardless what we think about this collection, we sure it sells. In his way, it works. the same as Wang for Balenciaga, it works .( Both are under PPR, I'm sure they are happy now. Maybe ?!! ) And 29 pages already for this collection. This post is on fire !!!

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ and the japanese are known for a consumer culture that verges on the insane.

i would not call suzy's review an embrace.

 

[FelipeV]

Wait, where are people actually seeing this collection, in a physical sense? Has it been made available to tFS users? Are some of you with the press or buyers? I'm being mildly sarcastic, but It seems outré that some members have actually, physically viewed this collection? At a press day presentation? I do not understand how people are saying they've seen this collection? Is that a joke, saying that you've seen this a million times before and have thus touched similar collections to SL FW'13? Or are you just looking for fuel to strengthen your argument?

Actually, this is the way tfs spot works. At least in the Designers and Collections threads

 

[tricotineacetat]

Pretty much every aspect of criticism had already been raised, but one thing that immediately caught my eye was how unfortunate it seems for him to show so little of the tailoring/outerwear he's gotten famous for to begin with? Slimane's talent clearly isn't and won't be on the dressmaking side of couture and unfortunately that shows in most of these outfits... customers looking for a party frock will have much better choices elsewhere, they can't be fooled to buy into mediocre choices that do not bear that signature Slimane touch as the borrowed-from-the-boys pieces do.

And to say that the company YSL is looking to abandon the bourgeois, mature woman customer entirely would be as stupid as to believe Hedi's market at Dior Homme was rooted only in skinny teens wanting to buy into fashion for the very first time around - That was obviously one target group that was good for Dior to have on top of their market, but certainly not the majority of where the money was made.

 

[iluvjeisa]

Despite what I have said previously in this thread, I think HS is reasonably talented, and this can not his best effort. So, then, what is his plan, I wonder?

The only plausible explanation is that this collection defines the break from YSL. As such, it would receive little praise whatever HS did. In that light, perhaps it makes sense to put in very little effort to perfect the collection.

 

[Izreal]

And to say that the company YSL is looking to abandon the bourgeois, mature woman customer entirely would be as stupid as to believe Hedi's market at Dior Homme was rooted only in skinny teens wanting to buy into fashion for the very first time around - That was obviously one target group that was good for Dior to have on top of their market, but certainly not the majority of where the money was made.

obviously no one is getting turned down at the entrance of a SLP boutique..but can you honestly say looking at the latest collection that the mature bourgeois woman has been kept in mind? same goes for men really, my recent visit to SLP showed pretty much NSFW items... they've got freaking SLP rollerskates planned for FW13 (i am not kidding!) at least DH had their basics for the office man (suit, ties, shirts, shoes & briefcases) but this departure is perhaps in line with the evolution of Balmain, Balenciaga etc.. basically clothing for a less conventional clientele..

 

[tricotineacetat]

The impression I got from the store inventory in a variety of SLP boutiques showed differently to me. They were smart enough to buy a lot into the suits, both for men and women. They kept the garish vintage prints (some of which reminded me of 80ies Ungaro party dresses) to a limit and focussed instead on the staples of what Hedi Slimane's always been known for - The tux jacket, the clean, lean denim, the shirt and a fine gauge sweater. In a way, still an update on that Helmut Lang formula that obviously got its update with Slimane's immaculate finishing and more slender cuts - Nonetheless, it's something for a rather ageless customer to buy... this works just as much on the 44 as it does on the 52, I don't think YSL wants to alienate that customer that can more readily spend his money on their clothes than fashion-obsessed teenagers. Which also isn't Balenciaga's or Balmain's main market, either.

 

[Mathewthew]

Actually there's more tailoring and pieces at the showroom than the show. A lots of pieces or accessoires which dosen't fit in the show go straight into the showroom...
They look better in real than the photos.

 

[Izreal]

yes do not fear there is plenty of tailoring/outerwear planned as indeed that is Slimane's forte.. Concerning the target group, I agree it isn't for teenagers (that's something the haters keep bringing up) but i wouldn't say it's ageless either (clearly young adult oriented) and more importantly with a focus on evening/leisure wear. the blouson jackets i tried on were cut extremely short, making them a lot less versatile then any DH blouson i own.. the mac was however perfectly cut but the all over pattern (as subtle as it was) again reduces wearable versatility considerably. finally, the helmut reference.. i saw it at DH and there is still a tiny bit of that DNA left present but again the model here is more Balmain/Balenciaga imo.. the models themself keep getting younger too (pretty much the opposite of Margiela/Lanvin/Prada that occasionally use mature cast) . even the denim has gone from 19-21cm which is acceptable towards 16.5-19cm .. and i'm sorry but a +40 male is not going to look good in 16.5cm pants unless he's mick jagger

 

[jeffandtheworld]

^ huh..isn't that Hedi SS13 in your avatar?!!!

Yes hehe.
I liked some bits of his previous collection especially the hat pieces.

However, what he has done to YSL is really disappointing from the name changing to the ad campaign and then to this collection.
To be honest, for the previous collection I liked just the 2-3 looks and also I found it such a boring collection, and for this collection I like none.

 

[tricotineacetat]

The silhouette Slimane brought up at Dior was actually sooner rather than later embraced by a wide audience of customers, no matter how skinny the boys in the shows had gotten - It was funny to see how long it took Dior to come up with a skinnier than 19cm hem jean when those kind of trousers were already on the market and had been continuously requested by buyers (particularly in the far east). The controversy in the press for his skinny cuts was less drastically received on the salesfloor, those fitting issues only concerned the very first few seasons at Dior. The fit of the new Saint Laurent is very much in tune with what the Dior clothing was like towards the end of his tenure and I am highly doubting they will be going any more skinny in the jackets and coats anytime soon.

In retrospect, Slimane set the standards for 'the new basics' that everybody desired (like Helmut before him), not only the young - Helmut Lang's menswear, formerly known for it's strict line, was eventually considered dated next to Slimane's tailoring. It was a rather natural shift from one to the other designer from my own experiences, so it was natural that this kind of customer eventually ended up at Dior; the urban sophisticate, somebody who wanted clothes with a daily wearable chic. Something with tempered edginess but sleek modernity. No matter how vintage-y trashy this runway show looks, this is still the overall impression you get from entering one of the newly revamped Saint Laurent boutiques, and the merchandise mix that they put their focus on.