Saint Laurent x Colette: Our Top 5 Picks
For 20 years, Colette has been the epitome of cool. Everyone from fashion designers to magazine editors has made pilgrimage to the three-storey boutique in Paris, home to an incomparable mix of luxury brands, street labels, and a miscellany of whatever else that fit its unique concept. As it prepares to bring the curtains down, Colette is going out the only way it knows how — in style.
From now 'til 20 December, Colette will host its ultimate pop-up by none other than Saint Laurent, the brand destined to take over its iconic Rue Saint-Honoré address. The French label will also be the last to collaborate with Colette for a capsule collection, curated specially by creative director Anthony Vaccarello. The collection is a mixed bag, featuring pieces from Saint Laurent’s Spring/Summer 2018 collection, as well as collector’s items from the likes of Polaroid, Baccarat and even Vespa.
Below, we highlight our top 5 picks from the diverse collection.
Ride the streets in effortless style with this one-of-a-kind scooter. As a nod to Saint Laurent's and Colette's Parisian heritage, the collaboration has brought to life an all-black version of the city's most iconic vehicle: the Vespa.
Complete your look with the fully crystallized helmet designed by Ruby for the collection, and you can be sure to turn heads as you speed past.
In 1966, Yves Saint Laurent irrevocably changed the world of fashion when he sent a model down the runway in an ensemble consisting of a classic dinner jacket, a pair of trousers, and a little black bow tie — or, as it's more famously known, Le Smoking.
In the words of the French designer himself, "Fashions come and go, but style is forever.” Pay tribute to the very first tuxedo designed for women — now an icon of timeless style — with this special lighter.
Colette's closing is not just a blow for fashion fans. Music lovers flocked to the cult boutique for its impeccable curation of albums, which were just as edgy and under-the-radar as its streetwear offerings. Music plays an equally important role to Saint Laurent, whose designs are often inspired by seminal musical works and iconic musicians.
This Depeche Mode tee, along with versions featuring Patti Smith and Bryan Ferry, perfectly encapsulates both brands' strong ties with music.
Its floors may have featured luxury brands but Colette has also championed many a street label over the last two decades. The retailer's daring — but always tasteful — mix of the two worlds are aptly represented by these Saint Laurent-labelled skateboard decks.
Designed by Arkaic Concept, the decks come in a leopard print version (very much reminiscent of the French label's glamorous coats) and one that features a photograph shot by Inez & Vinoodh from the brand's provocative Spring 2017 campaign.
Speaking of provocative, what's a Saint Laurent collection without a couple of naughty niceties?
Amongst the skateboards, cigarette lighters, speakers and even chocolates, the French brand has unabashedly thrown a couple of fetish toys into the mix for good measure. One of them even bears the iconic YSL logo on the front, giving the term "designer goods" a whole new meaning.
Check out the rest of the Saint Laurent x Colette collection in the gallery below.
