In 1966, Yves Saint Laurent visiting Marrakech for the first time, a place that will become sacred to him because of its peaceful feel. He designed his collection there, visiting in June and December in search of solitude away from Paris. In Morocco he found color, and the work he produced there was dominated by vivid colors never seen in his work before.
It was also in Marrakech that Saint Laurent, who was born in Oran, Algeria and moved to the French capital at the age of 18, wore some of his most iconic clothes, establishing himself as more than just a house. Designed with a mission to dress men and women in an energetic way, but a stylish maven in its own right. Here in the Red City, he sweeps through Dar el-Hanch’s private rooms in thigh-cut blue wide-leg jeans with a matching shirt, Cuban-style high-heeled boots, and an ivory suit elephants. He sees the city as a quiet retreat from the world. Saint Laurent creative director Anthony Vaccarello explains: “Yves never really left the house ahead of the brand’s Spring/Summer 2023 menswear show. “He just loves reading, thinking about clothes and spending time with friends.”
For the brand’s latest menswear show, Vaccarello, who has been creative director since 2016, left the house in a big way, bringing in nearly 300 editors, TikTokers and celebrities language (Dominic Fike, Strange things Jamie Campbell Bower is heavy, and Steve Lacy among them) to the hazy Agafay desert. Guests were transported in a convoy, model 007, in black vans to a campsite in the heart of the desert, where they found a large-scale installation designed with the American designer and artist. Mr. Es Devlin. Like some outer galactic states Arrive or Sand dunes, two shiny metal boxes that act as a gateway to the catwalk, for the first time in the history of Saint Laurent men’s shows, round, wrapped around a makeshift plunge pool, from which A giant ring of light appeared. “I wanted something soft, even sexy, in contrast to my usual straight strides,” explains Vaccarello.
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As the hum of the crowd subsided, a false mist enveloped the scene, while the pounding music of Saint Laurent’s DJ Sebastian disrupted the wonder of the landscape. Vaccarello’s first model strode across the rough floor and the show began. Vaccarello not only copied or referenced the aforementioned garments — the floor-length, breathable “Bougainvilleas” robes in cobalt and scarlet, and purple caftans — that Saint Laurent wore after his fall in Morocco. in the ’60s. Instead, the 50-strong collection was mostly black – just a handful of sand colors and a bright red jacket different from Vaccarello’s signature color. When asked why he thinks this is suitable for the summer, Vaccarello replied, “Why not? Blue, red and yellow is a Moroccan cliché. I wanted to avoid it and black is the best way to really see the silhouette of the body, especially in the desert.”
