The fashion rumour mill went into overdrive last month when gossip abounded that Hedi Slimane was leaving Saint Laurent. Since he joined the fashion house in 2012 he has left his indelible stamp on the brand, changing the name, and injecting his instantly recognisable rock and roll signature design to the luxury French fashion house. Like it or loathe it; deem Slimane sacrilegious or a saviour, the fashion world was shocked to discover that he might be leaving so soon. And always one to go against the grain, Slimane decided to unveil his AW16 collection in LA last night as opposed to on the official menswear and womenswear schedules in Paris, presenting part one at the Hollywood Palladium music hall on Sunset Boulevard.
Whether it was in fact one of his last ever collections for the brand or not, fashion's glitterati and the biggest names in music came out to show their support and get a first look. Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, Kim Gordon, Sam Smith, Courtney Love, Alexa Chung, Jamie Hince, Dakota & Elle Fanning, Zoe Kravitz and Lucky Blue Smith were just some of the A-list attendees at the star-studded show.
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The collection consisted of 93 looks inspired by LA's music scene. Naturally, there was lots and lots of leather, fur, sequinned midi dresses and culottes, leopard print pencil skirts and velvet capes. If this was in fact Slimane's swan song, he went out with a glittering bang.
Kering chairman and chief executive Francois-Henri Pinault diplomatically shrugged off rumours explaining: "We’re discussing, we have till the end of March, no rush. Tonight is about celebrating the brand, celebrating Hedi, celebrating L.A., the music, all that. Nothing else."