Last season a buyer who preferred to remain nameless, told me that Hedi Slimane’s Celine debut collection left them wondering how to apportion their budget between Phoebe Philo’s former house and that of Saint Laurent. Such issues had evidently not gone unclocked at Kering either. Tonight in Paris, Anthony Vaccarello rebooted his label to a rather earlier incarnation.

Fall ’19 marked a return to a sharper, more sophisticated aesthetic, more high octane ’80s than high-as-a-kite. For womenwear, this meant exaggerated razor-sharp shoulders on Le Smoking classics — think iconic Saint Laurent muses Betty Catroux, Bianca Jagger and Catherine Deneuve — and platform stilettos done in the same extreme proportions.

Fiercely elevated Mary Jane pumps, as seen on Kaia Gerber and friends, came sharp-of-toe but it was the cleverly obscured platform soles within the maison’s ruched bottines that grabbed FN’s attention. The boot, in all its myriad guises, will be far and beyond the biggest thing in fall ’19 footwear and Vaccarello’s take is sure to be a major contender.

A flame haired model rocking the ultimate tulle 80s party skirt was a dead ringer for Lindsay Lohan who sat front row. Expect to see this on the red carpet in the not too distant.

While menswear retained its rock ‘n’ roll edge, not least the metallic stripe lace-ups, the pant silhouettes especially proved rather more forgiving than of late.

For the past few seasons, the Saint Laurent show has taken place at the Fontaine du Trocadero under the Eiffel Tower, but tonight the collection’s own light show sought to rival the Tower’s hourly twinkles. As for the finale, that took place behind a mirrored backdrop with a series of colorful takes on the classics that glowed in the dark under a black light — from sun specs to shoes and everything in between. 

See more styles on the runway at Saint Laurent’s fall ’19 Paris Fashion Week show.

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