Not sure what the message is here.
Not sure what the message is here.
Image: AP/Thibault Camus

Saint Laurent’s regressive sexy

Saint Laurent’s catwalk was met with mixed reviews (paywall), and several critics took issue with how exposed the models were (paywall): Feather pasties, which New York Times fashion critic Vanessa Friedman called “old-fashioned,” proved only to be accessories when several models sported fully exposed breasts. As WWD’s Bridget Foley noted it all “felt tone-deaf, especially at this moment of heightened attention to respecting models.” The show’s closing walk, Diet Prada notes, ended with “a near vag-exposing finale parade.”

Vaccarello’s debuts a backward collection for Saint Laurent.
Vaccarello’s debuts a backward collection for Saint Laurent.
Image: REUTERS/Stephane Mahe

At Celine, women were ignored

Under Phoebe Philo, Celine’s previous creative director, the label forged an identity as a bastion of feminist fashion. Philo created a cult following around sophisticated, female-focused apparel that she designed for an elegant and professional woman.

Philo’s fans were dismayed when Celine’s new head, Hedi Slimane, removed the accent from the “e” in the brand’s name, and their fears were realized when Slimane debuted a collection that fully ignored the brand’s woman-focused identity, and instead launched a menswear collection with a sprinkle of spangled baby-doll dresses borrowed right out of his time as head of YSL.

From Slimane’s one-trick pony show this year.
From Slimane’s one-trick pony show this year.
Image: AP Photo/Michel Euler

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