The Return of Yves to Saint Laurent

With the appointment of Hedi Slimane as the new director of Yves Saint Laurent in 2012, this famous fashion house decided to follow a new direction - focusing on modernity and youth as the brand's core themes. As such, the rather drastic decision of abandoning ‘Yves’, from the brand’s name was meant to bring the house into a new era. Perhaps a clever marketing strategy, since this change the brand seems to have abandoned the heritage style which Yves himself created. This is a shame, as Yves Saint Laurent was, without a doubt, the most bold and creative 20th-century fashion designer. He revolutionized women’s fashion bringing looks such as Le Smoking Jacket and the Mondrian Dress. Equally, he became famous for his use of bold colours, combining fashion and art and using the styles of other cultures such as Morocco as a source of inspiration. 

However, since Saint Laurent's rebranding, head designers have ignored this brand heritage. Most high fashion houses have stayed true to their heritage and reused key themes or styles that their brand is famous for. For example, tweed in Chanel collections, Dior’s restructuring of the Bar Suit, and surrealist themes in Schiaparelli. All of these elements have become synonymous with each brand, and make their collections distinctive. Unfortunately, Saint Laurent’s collections since 2012 appear to have very little to do with the original brand. Favouring edgy modernism instead of core styles and themes. At least until recently…

The current creative director, Anthony Vaccarello, has obviously been digging through the Yves Saint Laurent archives, as the last two years have seen a return to the styles and themes that made the house famous. Indeed, Yves himself appears to have been a muse, as the Men’s 2024 Winter Show saw models that were split copies of Yves Himself. With boyish looks, glasses and beautifully tailored oversized double-breasted suits, it looked as if Yves had time-travelled directly from the presentation of his first collection in 1962. It probably never occurred to Yves that he would be a muse for his brand, but it’s brought a refreshing return to and recognition of the houses’ history. The brand’s most recent fashion pieces have equally returned to the past for inspiration. The women’s A/W 2024 had a modern 1940s theme, additionally featuring large fur coats reminiscent of the coats included in Yves Saint Laurent's 1971 ‘Liberation Collection’. 

Yves has continued to inspire Saint Laurent’s most recent S/S 2025 Women’s collection, as models walked the catwalk in very similar double-breasted oversized suits which appeared in the men’s collection the season before, continuing Yves Saint Laurent’s androgynous theme, which first appeared with Le Smoking Jacket Suit in 1966. This style has most certainly been continued in the most recent collection.

However, the most exciting emergence from the Yves Saint Laurent archive is the inclusion of Moroccan and oriental colours, styles and fabrics which inspired Yves during his lifetime. The S/S 2025 collection brings back bold colours and textiles, including jackets inspired by those originally released in 1988. Indeed, the first jacket shown during the show seems to be a homage to Yves’s Vincent van Gogh-inspired jacket from the same collection, only having a smaller, more delicate pattern than the original. Paired with contrasting skirts and lace high-neck blouses, the use of colours and textiles truly pays homage to Yves's own oriental inspirations. 

All in all, it is refreshing as well as smart for Vaccarello to take Saint Laurent back to its roots. It’s nice to see that Yves has finally returned to Saint Laurent.