The year was 1961. Skirts were still long, The Beatles had just cut their hair into a mod style but hadn’t cut their first single, and love wasn’t free – just yet. Society stood on the precipice of sweeping change, change that was reflected throughout every sphere, but was most pronounced in the realms of fashion and music. The change stood for freedom, for experimentation, for a break with longstanding tradition.
Standing at the forefront of fashion’s coming future was a design genius by the name of Yves Saint Laurent, fresh from a stint at the house of Christian Dior. Saint Laurent and longtime business partner, Pierre Bergé, shared a vision to turn the fashion world on its head, and little did they know how profoundly they would succeed. In 1961, Bergé raised the funds (in part, by selling his own apartment), and the haute couture house of Yves Saint Laurent was established. Yves Saint Laurent’s first collection debuted the following spring, in 1962, to rave reviews. “We were expecting a collection by a young man of the future, but we saw a collection by a modern-day master,” cried the press, and the rest was history.
Since taking over the helm of Saint Laurent, Anthony Vaccarello has honored the founder’s memory with every single collection, by plucking moments, silhouettes, themes, and forgotten prints from the archives and resurrecting them for the current day. For Spring/Summer 2019, Saint Laurent furthered its homage to the “modern-day master” with the release of the ‘Le 61’ bag, which references the year the house was established. Not satisfied with producing just one instant “It” bag, Saint Laurent has gone a step further with the release of the ‘Suede Monogram Allover’ bag, which is intentionally made to look like it tumbled straight from the archives.
Below, you’ll discover the craftsmanship details that went into making the Saint Laurent ‘Le 61’ and ‘Monogram’ bags, respectively, and gain a whole new appreciation for the storied legacy of this monumental brand.
Saint Laurent 'Le 61' bag
Impeccable lines, clean surfaces, and a distinct oval shield covered in leather and embossed with the Saint Laurent logo make this stunning bag both a stylish addition to any wardrobe and an instant collector’s item.
Saint Laurent 'Suede Monogram Allover' bag
The ‘Suede Monogram Allover’ bag earns its name because it is entirely embossed with the logo of the house. Done in magnificent suede, which is aged to mimic the look of a vintage bag, this a monogram bag unlike any other. It comes in two colors – black and burgundy – and three different shapes: the bucket, the satchel, and the camera.
