Saint Laurent SS14 menswear proves once again that designer Hedi Slimane is one of fashion’s most talked about designers. It seems to have become de rigueur to attack anything Hedi Slimane does at Saint Laurent Paris, from his controversial removing of Yves which has thus subsequently fuelled a backlash against the designers collections.
You have to look beyond the initial with Hedi, delve deeper and it is clear to see that he pays homage to the relationship between music and fashion on an almost intellectual level; part designer, part historian. His SS14 menswear collection is prime example, one I have seen likened by peers to the famous Trash & Vaudeville store on New York’s St. Marks Place. This can also as a compliment to a seminal style in the fashion zeitgeist; Saint Laurent SS14 is a velvet goldmine, Bowie-esque pansexual 70’s glamour fused with Slimane’s fetish for rebellious Americana. He borrows again from West Coat biker and Hawaiian surf cultures and a little bit of twisted prep, subverting the subverted to present a strong collection that is contemporary ‘glam rock’. A fitting evolutionary step for the designers distinct and androgynous aesthetic.