COOL FOR CATS

shinny happy people:  St Laurent spring 2014

tough enough: St Laurent spring 2014

                  

Here we go again. Hedi Slimane delivers another collection dripping in sub-cultural references that will be sure to elicit both vindictive scorn and  gushing praise in equal measure. Of course here Slimane is on firmer territory, delivering menswear for his latest YSL collection. If there is one thing you can say for Hedi it is this; no one's gonna tell him how to play the game. If there is anyone more resolute in their vision and in their ability to communicate it in a highly effective, unambiguous way, it's Hedi Slimane.

This time round rockabilly was the go to source for youth/ music inspired influences. Animal print; check, winkle-pickers: check, Perfecto leather jackets: check, and stove pipes of course- it wouldn't be a Hedi Slimane menswear show without them, as usual so skinny it relies on the kind of dedication to fashion few men over the age of 30 can pull off. this is by now such a moot point in Slimane's collections that is not even worth comment; Slimane's silhouette  for men is singular and resolute, and if you don't fit it: tough luck. the truth is that the pieces themselves are most likely suited to the under 30's anyhow- it's hard to imagine turning up to the office in a sequined drape tuxedo jacket. which is a shame actually, because the tailoring, as previously when at Dior, is fantastic; anyone who thinks it's easy to tailor jackets and coats so close to the body doesn't understand the technicalities involved.

As with previous collections however, such as his debut womenswear for Dior, criticism may come in suggesting Slimane doesn't so much suggest new directions so much as draw attention to trends that are already amongst us, albeit in the clubs and streets inhabited by more underground fashion savvy youths. there is certainly no shortage of rockabilly kids roaming the streets as a more edgy alternative to current 90's inspired trends that seem to be dominating and Slimane doesn't offer much  of a re-conceptualization of this emerging phenomenon. this is by no means a criticism, merely an observation that demonstrates Slimane's general design process and one he established long ago.