Saint Laurent showcases glow-in-the-dark dresses at Paris Fashion Week
When the night owls of the fashion world who live to see and be seen really want to get noticed, they call on Saint Laurent.
So it was only fitting that, at the house’s latest catwalk show in Paris last night, designer Anthony Vaccarello unveiled a collection guaranteed to turn heads, both on the social circuit and social media alike.
Certainly, there was nothing subtle about the eye-popping fluorescent-bright cocktail dresses which gave Saint Laurent’s blockbuster catwalk performance its spectacular finale.
As models took to the stage, framed against a kaleidoscopic backdrop of mirrors and spotlights, which flashed in rhythm to the thumping music, UV blacklights highlighted the neon pops of colour which spanned luminous stilettos and sunglasses to glow-in-the-dark marabou feather coats.
But while phosphorescent party wear provided one surefire way of making an entrance - and will no doubt draw the luxury world’s flashiest creatures like moths to a flame - it wasn’t Vaccarello’s only proposition for after-dark glamour. The show, in fact, began with a very different take on eveningwear in the form of a plunging black satin tuxedo jumpsuit teamed with an enormous power-shoulder overcoat capable of filling any room the woman wearing it walked into.
This empowered Eighties silhouette, which Vaccarello credited backstage to the liberated spirit of the house’s long-time muses Betty Catroux, Bianca Jagger and Catherine Deneuve, was translated throughout from the structured cocktail shorts to the brocade bolero jackets.
Dresses, too, were in no short supply - though they were almost always short - spanning thigh-high tutu-skirt LBDs to sequin-strewn asymmetric puff-sleeve showstoppers.
But the die-hard Saint Laurent fan will also be reassured to see the iconic Le Smoking jacket - an item which has remained synonymous with the Yves Saint Laurent name since its introduction in 1968 - also played a starring role. For next season, they include pure white satin suits to crystal-encrusted trophy jackets, along with an XXL style in classic black which, when worn as a dress, was among the most attention-grabbing looks of the night.
