The pandemic has upended the history of fashion and how it has been working for decades. But this year, luxury labels showed no signs of slowing down despite how the pandemic has wreaked havoc on the fashion industry as a whole. In this case, Saint Laurent’s most recent Summer 2021 collection.
After departing from the Paris Fashion Week schedule earlier this year, Saint Laurent has continued to break boundaries with their Women’s Summer 2021 collection. So what sets this show apart from the others? Aside from its restrained collection, the location was anything but.

Located in the middle of the desert, Anthony Vaccarello, creative director at Saint Laurent, shares that the collection is a sign of the times — peep extreme social distancing coupled with Zoom-ready formalwear on top and barely-there bottoms. Basically, the essentials we all love and crave for during the stay-home era. Here, you’ll notice models snaking across the sand dune that’s embossed with the YSL logo.
With uncertain times, just like today, the desert symbolises that yearns for serenity, open space and a slower rhythm. Vaccarello also mentioned that “the clothes are also softer, the spirit of the collection is more gentle, stripped back.”
So what can you expect from the collection? Well, for one, silk blouses paired by biker shorts are in. Not to mention, a vareuse with spacious pockets, a long jacket with tidy shoulders and pseudo austere jumpsuits that outlines the body without constricting it. Other less practical options have also been in the spotlight like their lace and satin hot pants, alongside lightweight knits and button-downs for the right balance of comfort and sex appeal. Besides, in this digital age where we have no choice but to live with Zoom and virtual everything, no one sees anything other than your top half anymore.
See the Summer 2021 collection below: