The Dark Age cometh. Which, despite the UK’s impending coronation as the latest failed state, is a good thing. Or at least it was at Saint Laurent’s SS20 show: a high-performance, well-lit spectacle that turned Paris’ Trocadéro into an exquisite members’ lounge in the Fifth Circle of Hell. And its new crown prince? Rami Malek, the royal arbiter of monochrome, patron saint of party suits, overseer of leather and very, very sexy menswear.
As part of a wider ode to founder Yves Saint Laurent’s signature Le Smoking suit, the show saw Malek make his own tribute. And, rather than go classic (no bad course of action, by the way), the 38-year-old merged the storied brand’s slimline physique with the louche luxury of creative director Anthony Vaccarello.
That means a shiny tuxedo jacket, a sparkling shirt and leather trousers below – an unholy trinity of rockstar excess that’s, thankfully, a cut above TVs out of the window and shower-free tour buses. It’s a huge trifecta to gamble upon. But, by sheer virtue of Saint Laurent’s signature (and indeed, by very token of being a Hollywood star on the ascendance), Malek pulls it off.
This is the dark side – the stylish kind – in which the Netherworld is a veritable parade of glittering designer goods, unfathomably good-looking residents and overlords with the intrinsic ability to wear leather trousers with aplomb. Two-bed apartments starting at approx. £300,000 (equity exchange available on your soul).
