Saint Laurent presents an ode to the Little Black Dress at Paris Fashion Week SS19

The Little Black Dress will always be en vogue. That was the message on the Saint Laurent catwalk last night as Anthony Vaccarello presented an ode to the fashion icon throughout the decades.

In a showcase which sought to chart both the evolution and timeless appeal of style classics, including the LBD and the impeccably-cut suit, the designer’s offering for next spring spanned plunging power-shouldered cocktail dresses straight out of the Eighties to crystal-trimmed Sixties micro-shifts.

Of course, this being Saint Laurent - one of the most powerful and successful brands on the Paris Fashion Week schedule - these weren’t just any old black dresses shown against a blank backdrop.

Instead, Vaccarello transformed his catwalk - staged outside in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower - into an infinity pool shrouded in darkness and lined with sun-bleached palm trees. As models splashed down the catwalk, clad in towering platforms which proved to be just as effective at stomping through water as stealing the spotlight on the dance floor, party wear hits topped the bill.

Citing Seventies It-girl and Yves Saint Laurent’s muse Paloma Picasso as a key inspiration, fashion from Studio 54’s heyday came to define this show.

From the cropped velvet kick flares to the star-spangled suede jackets teamed with short-shorts, this was a collection which sought to delight the brand’s modern rock ’n’ roll fan base - including Kate Moss, who was among those sat front row.

The house’s famed Le Smoking tuxedo jackets were also given a Western influence for the occasion, with studded lapels or Bolero-style embroidery, and presented alongside gold lurex bombers or marching band jackets.

For his finale, Vaccarello sent out a procession of sheer LBDs - this time long, not little, some slashed to the hip, others backless - which were alternated with sequinned, skimpy bodysuits. Or, as the designer suggested backstage, “swimsuits”.

Undoubtedly, this was the most fabulous pool party Paris Fashion Week had ever seen.