Saint Laurent Paris FW13

[Supel]

A rockstars wet dream. Seems as though Hedi's going through a mid life crisis.

At leased his photography is good.

[SVRulez]

Is it ?

[galia]

I don't think it's any good. it's just pleasant to look at

[Faust]

I normally lurk on this forum, but I was so disappointed by this collection that I felt compelled to speak out. Much of Hedi’s work at Dior Homme was truly elegant – the fabrics were beautiful, the color palette was rich, and there was a unifying aesthetic to his best collections.

Hedi’s passions for rock and rocker boys were obvious then, but there was a certain formalism at Dior that constrained his impulse to blindly reproduce that culture in his designs, and that tension resulted in some incredible work. By contrast, this is Hedi in full-on candy store mode, madly churning out a pastiche of rocker styles. This is Hedi’s private psychodrama, writ large on the world stage. I’m disappointed that Pilati was ousted for this, and I hope that his minders at PPR can reproduce whatever the conditions were of that intellectual ferment that led to Hedi’s period of brilliance at Dior.

Well said. Please post more!

[Faust]

I'm waiting for Hedi's open letter to Tim Blanks and twitter slurs 2.0.

[casem]

Like everyone I'm disappointed to see Hedi offering nothing new from what he previously did. BUT, compared to what else is out there at the moment I actually find the cool, sexy, nonchalant aspect of this collection quite refreshing. Yes, in terms of Hedi's own work it's the same old. But since he left, fashion has been going toward swathes of drapery, sterile formal minimalism, or old timey dandyism and this is a welcome contrast to all that.

Of course, as others have pointed out one of the reasons designers have been moving away from this look is because it became so influential that it's now associated more with Zara or Topman than high fashion. I agree that Hedi is going to have to do a lot better than this to maintain a signature aesthetic while moving ahead enough to differentiate himself from high street. Like any over hyped return he's primed for failure. If he does something more au courant he can be criticized for ripping off those designers that have flourished during his absence in an attempt to remain relevant, if he returns to what he does best everyone complains that he's out of ideas.

I think many of those disappointed might have been hoping for something like what he originally did at YSL. But that was so early in his career I wouldn't expect him to do anything like it anymore. A smarter and more coherent move would've been for him to further develop the direction his last Dior collection was moving in. He began to loosen up and experiment more with his shapes (dropped, pleated pants, A-line coats etc.) and I was kinda hoping he'd take off from there.

In any case, I have some hope for his continuation at YSL. He's made his initial statement reminding everyone what he is known for (as if we forgot ) so hopefully now he can move on and develop in a new direction.

[Uncontrol]

The problem is that it's not really the same old. It's a rehash but worse – it's missing the energy and drama of something like Luster. It's just ... boring.

[SVRulez]

I think it's mostly a commercial decision to give the Hedi fanboys what they have been crying for, ever since he left Dior. The quality won't be up to the standards he set in his first collections at YSL and CD, BUT it'll be better than H&M, Zara etc. so it might still sell.
Hopefully that will give him the confidence to bring in some new ideas.
Or maybe he doesn't give a sh*t anymore and it's all about the money.
I really loved Dior Homme back in the day (didn't we all ?) but this is just meh.
Hell, even KVA did a better job...

[Shucks]

A smarter and more coherent move would've been for him to further develop the direction his last Dior collection was moving in. He began to loosen up and experiment more with his shapes (dropped, pleated pants, A-line coats etc.) and I was kinda hoping he'd take off from there.

this.

[Uncontrol]

That territory is well tread by now, though.

[fncyths]

Judging by Hedi's face he's living this lifestyle. I guess he can afford both.

This is just gross and unsympathetic. What's the message? There's nothing of relevance.

Completely agree. 10 years ago when we were all sniffing keys in bathroom stalls this "look" was part of a movement. It was culturally significant and raw, and captured the mood and feel of the early millenium.

To revisit that just seems retrogressive...

Most of those bands have moved from the city to the canyons, grown out their beards, and worked on expanding their waistlines

Viewing this collection is like revisiting old pics on myspace or friendster, brings back some good memories, but glad that's over.

[messenoire]

i like this purely based on nostalgia. when i first got into fashion dior homme was the coolest shit that i knew of and the grungey lux rocker look i felt was the most appealing to me at the time. now years and years down the road i crave more than a rehash of dior homme's greatest hits can offer. it's all too simple and blatant. in todays arena i need a challenge to draw my attention. hedi simply does not do that.

[kunk75]

this collection is like listening to an old skinny puppy album, it just isn't the same.

Maybe because Ann doesn't really borrow from pop culture and therefore feels more timeless?

[cjbreed]

^^i lol'd. we speak the same language kunk

[mike]

it seems like he put more thought into the set design than the clothing; i wonder how much that speaker carousel cost. what an utter disappointment. i figured he was rushed with the first collection and i was hoping for a strong runway debut, but it is clear he has lost his vision to his influences. i was not expecting a return to the early years of dior, but the problem i have with this is the total lack of elegance and refinement. even the worst dior collections had cohesion and a certain precision. all i see now is his "inspiration" without any reinterpretation. it would have been best if he had quit while he was still ahead and not taken the position.