I’m not suggesting that luxury runway shows will cease entirely. Fashion shows are still critical for brands to showcase their fashion storytelling live to customers and media. The digital world will never replace live performances, may it be fashion, theatre or sports.

Nonetheless, the COVID-19 pandemic effectively cancelled the haute fashion calendar this spring. Production halted, fashion shows were aborted and boutiques were closed. This pause reportedly resulted in a letter, instigated by Dries Van Noten, calling on the industry to tear up the traditional fashion week calendar to promote a more sustainable schedule in order to protect creativity and ensure profitability.

Above photo: Evaro Italia at Vancouver Fashion Week Spring Summer 2020. | Photo: Simon Lau

Gucci’s creative director Alessandro Michele recently announced that the storied house will cut its number of annual fashion shows from five – cruise, spring – summer, capsule, pre-fall, fall-winter – to two. Michele’s goal is to reduce waste by offering seasonless clothing as he believes the garments he produces for Gucci should have a longer life than just a few months.

The designers calling for a more sustainable fashion paradigm are at the forefront of a movement. You can expect future fashion shows to combine men’s and women’s collections and to include items for both warm and cold climates with layer pieces for seasons in between. In short, fewer shows and less product.

Recently, designer capsule collections have all been “show now, buy now” and that too will be part of the new formula going forward.

The tradition of showcasing designer collections six months before each corresponding season has allowed fast fashion to steal profits – and designs – from designers which resulted in mass discounting, devaluing their brands. With “show now, buy now”, fast fashion retailers, such as Zara, can still replicate designer clothes in three weeks but the six-month sales advantage that they had in the past will be eliminated. 

While it seems European luxury fashion brands are committed to change, it remains to be seen if consumers will choose to pay higher designer prices rather than the cheaper fast fashion options. However, as I have detailed in the past, consumers too are looking to more sustainable options for their wardrobes.

COVID-19 has allowed European luxury designers to rethink fashion week shows making a change for sustainability. But, if we want to make a real difference over the long term, consumers will need to embrace quality over quantity. 

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With its rebel history and its distinctly Parisian je ne sais quoi, it’s no surprise that the beret is making a comeback, appearing in the runway collections of Yves Saint Laurent, Isabel Marant, and Dior. Current incarnations of this stylish staple include brightly colored versions in textured wools and others in black leather studded with colored stones. Models with their hair up wore the look best though leaving hair long and loose is a stylish option too.

This age-old icon of French fashion originated in the Pyrenees about 400 years ago. Berets were first worn by rural peasants and then by soldiers in the 18^th and 19^th centuries before becoming a worldwide symbol of French chic.

Propelling the humble beret to its current luxury status is Laulhére, France’s oldest and last remaining beret manufacturer which just opened a boutique on Paris rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore near the shops of luxury designers such as Hermes and YSL.

Laulhére began manufacturing berets 170 years ago and still uses the same century-old machinery to knit the luscious merino wool used for the hats which it then steams, forms and colors. This process takes nearly two days to complete but, despite the labour intensive technique, Laulhére now sells over 200,000 berets a year with a prices ranging from US$75 for a basic model to nearly US$1200 for a leather hat decorated with stones and crystals. Their main clientele are now international tourists looking to take home a piece of archetypal French luxury.

Back in the mid 80’s, there were over 20 beret manufacturers in the Pyrénées region but by they were all driven out of business by Chinese and Indian factories producing lower cost products. The workers at Laulhére  are passionate about preserving this French tradition and proudly offer their clientele quality Made in France berets.

During your next trip to Paris, pay a visit Laulhére to acquire one of their beautiful berets. Not only will you look totally chic and absolutely au courant, you will also be helping keep the production of a quintessentially French fashion icon rooted in home soil.”

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The exhibition takes visitors through Saint Laurent’s legendary career and reveals both his artistic genius and his creative process as an haute couture designer. On display at SAM is an exemplary collection of 110 ensembles, many of which have never been shown in public before, showcasing the tremendous achievements of his 44-years in the fashion industry.

As he singlehandedly reinvented the wardrobe of the modern women during the 60’s, Saint Laurent’s importance to the fashion world cannot be understated. By introducing the female cuts of wardrobe staples such as the pea jacket, the tuxedo, the pantsuit, and the safari jacket, he changed the way women dressed and Yves Saint Laurent: The Perfection of Style is a testament to this.

Fashions fade, style is eternal

Saint Laurent was born in 1936 in Oran, Algeria and grew up in a villa by the Mediterranean with two younger sisters. From a young age, he liked to create intricate paper dolls and by his early teens he was designing dresses for his mother and sisters. As you first enter the exhibition hall, you will learn about his Paper Doll Couture House, an interactive display which allows you to place colorful dresses over a paper doll.

Saint Laurent studied at the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture in Paris before he began his fashion career at Christian Dior. Ensembles early in the exhibition focus on Saint Laurent’s formative years when, at age 21, where he was named artistic director for the renowned house after the sudden death of Christian Dior in 1957. Working at the pinnacle of French luxury fashion, his successful 1958 Spring – Summer debut collection for Dior includes his magnificent Eléphant Blanc evening dress made from silk and covered with gold metallic thread embroidery which is a must see piece of this exhibition.

Visitors will learn how Saint Laurent was inspired by art. On display is one of his most famous dresses which features square blocks of primary colors’  red, yellow and blue encompassed by black lines and pays homage to Dutch painter Piet Mondrian. Saint Laurent was influenced by all forms of art and culture from the bright colors and stark lines of pop art to the traditional materials used in African arts and crafts. A raffia coat with a silk dress embroidered with tiny wooden beads is a prime example of the latter source of inspiration.

Dressing is a way of life

In 1962, Saint Laurent launched his own couture house with Pierre Bergé, his lifelong partner both in business and in life. In 1966, they opened the first ready-to-wear designer boutique in London which introduced designer fashions to the masses. He became know as the Beatnik Couturier, drawing inspiration from street life and pop culture and proudly proclaiming, “you no longer need to be rich to have style.”

As fascinating as any of the dresses, and included throughout the exhibition, are the original collection boards from 1962 – 2002 with sketches of and swatches from each outfit of every Saint Laurent couture show covering 40 years of the maison de couture’s history. Plus, one of the eight modules of the exhibition includes a large glass display case the size of a boardroom table filled to the edges with bold and colorful jewelry accessories, demonstrating the total look of the Yves Saint Laurent house.

During the 1970’s Yves Saint Laurent achieved superstar status equal to that of Mick Jagger or David Bowie. He was no longer simply a fashion designer, but also a celebrity, targeted by British gossip magazines and photographers on the lookout for scandals. And he did not disappoint. In November 1971, to promote his men’s fragrance Pour Homme, he released a nude photograph of himself and caused an incredible stir.

Numerous photographs, drawings and production documents offer a rare behind-the-scenes glimpse into the creative workings of the fashion house and the private life of the great couturier.

Many of the exhibition displays are on loan from the Pierre Bergé Yves Saint Laurent Foundation which opened its doors on the premises of the former Paris couture house in 2004 with a goal to conserve and promote Yves Saint Laurent’s unique vision after he passed away in his Paris home in 2008.

Elegance is forgetting what one is wearing

The elegance of Yves Saint Laurent: The Perfection of Style stands in striking contrast with grunge, Seattle’s contribution to fashion history. Originating from its vibrant music scene, the movement influenced high fashion in the 90s and is making a comeback at youth oriented fast fashion outlets.

Grunge kicked off with the rise of Kurt Cobain’s alternative rock band Nirvana whose music earned its label with its murky and rough sound. Many have described grunge fashion as thrift store chic. Cobain himself had a nonchalant “anything goes” look characterized by graphic t-shirts, Doc Marten boots, distressed light denim, oversized cardigan sweaters with moth holes and, to top it all off, bad hair every day of the week.

In 1993, James Truman, Editor of Details, said that, “grunge is about not making a statement, which is why it’s crazy for it to become a fashion statement.” However, become a fashion statement it did. Marc Jacobs was one of the first designers to showcase grunge as high fashion with his 1993 Perry Ellis collection. In fall 2014, the Hedi Slimane collection for Saint Laurent was a tribute to grunge with luxurious scruffy mohair sweaters and faux-fur coats.

In striking contrast to its grungy past, the Yves Saint Laurent exhibition at SAM brings a touch of luxurious style to the Emerald City, begging the question if Yves Saint Laurent changed the face of haute couture, can he change Seattle?

If you are planning a weekend getaway or just passing through the Seattle area, the Yves Saint Laurent: The Perfection of Style exhibition is a must see for anyone. Whether you have a particular appreciation for the influences of French couture on fashion today or you simply like beautiful things, this exceptional display of Saint Laurent’s work is sure to please.

Don’t delay as the exhibition only runs until January 8, 2017. Afterwards, it will travel to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, VA where it will be open from May 6 – August 27, 2017.

If you go:

Seattle Art Museum, 1300 First Ave. Seattle, WA

Parking:

Stewart & 3^rd Ave. across from Macy’s. Request a parking voucher from the SAM ticket counter for discounted rates.

Accommodation:

Heathman Hotel Kirkland, 220 Kirkland Ave. Kirkland, WA

Dine:

Trellis Restaurant, 220 Kirkland Ave. Kirkland, WA

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