Anyone who had hoped that Anthony Vaccarello would send Saint Laurent menswear to the Berlin club scene may not have gotten their money’s worth at the presentation of the French luxury brand’s SS24 collection in the German capital last night. Instead of Berghain, the designer relied on a well-known building and presented a collection that blurred the boundaries between masculinity and femininity.
The collection was presented with the promising name “Each man kills the thing he loves” in the “Neue Nationalgalerie” in Berlin. The architectural masterpiece, a glass pavilion topped by a steel roof, was architect Mies van der Rohe’s last major building project. The location, whose corners and edges resembled the cuts of the jacket, offered the guests on Monday evening not only a view of the latest performance by Saint Laurent but also of Berlin’s setting sun.
The looks of the collection were – in many ways – self-referential. Vaccarello followed in the footsteps of Yves Saint Laurent’s iconic tuxedo, a garment that challenged notions of femininity and masculinity as early as 1966, but it was also a clear continuation of the previous season – of both men’s and women’s fashion.
Deja vu and shoulder parts á la sexy Frankenstein
For some time now, Saint Laurent menswear has seemed to be inspired by womenswear and vice versa. Vaccarello opened the Spring/Summer 2024 show in Berlin with a series of looks that at first almost caused deja vu, because they tie directly to last season’s women’s fashion.
Heavily accentuated shoulders à la sexy Frankenstein were combined with narrow, high-waisted trousers and heeled booties. Pants widened a bit as the show progressed, while formal shirts gave way to sheer blouses and low-cut tanks, in cotton and silk.
In addition to a sensuous mixture of transparent materials – also with dots and leopard patterns – there was silk and satin and also mousseline, a fabric that is firmly rooted in haute couture. These flowing materials lend lightness to jackets made of pinstripes or in deep black. Also, severe bow ties contrasted with halter shirt collars and off-the-shoulder tops that accentuated the wearer’s collarbone—charms that are usually stingy with in the traditional world of menswear.
