From Morocco to Malibu
Esquire Singapore|December 2019
Anthony Vaccarello’s spring/summer 2020 collection is, at once, a nostalgic journey into the past as it is a bold voyage into modern menswear.
Norman Tan
From Morocco to Malibu

What do fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent, British rocker Mick Jagger and French singer Serge Gainsbourg have in common? In addition to being cultural iconoclasts in their own right, these three men also had a penchant for wearing silk shirts unbuttoned to the sternum. That is to say, they all oozed a sensual insouciance. A certain devil-may-care swagger. An implicit take-me-or-leaveme confidence.

And it is this rakish nonchalance that Anthony Vaccarello tapped into for his latest spring/summer 2020 menswear collection for Saint Laurent; albeit, as is de rigueur of the luxury French house, amped up with couture-level detailing,

“It started after meeting Mick Jagger for his upcoming tour,” says Vaccarello. “He showed me his wardrobe and I was particularly attracted by the details, the colours, the attitude.”

In particular, Vaccarello took inspiration from the seminal 1975 concert tour of the Americas by the Rolling Stones. And, inflecting that aesthetic with a certain je ne sais quoi quality of Gainsbourg, what unravelled on the sandy beach runway in Malibu was the ultimate rock’n’roll wardrobe brimming with a timeless bohemian attitude.

‘Malibu’ you ask? Why, yes. Decamping from its Parisian home, the maison gathered the global menswear cognoscenti in California—swapping the glittering lights of Manhattan that served as a hypnotic backdrop to last year’s spring/summer 2019 men’s show, for the pristine beach of Paradise Cove in Malibu—to witness the latest men’s spring/summer 2020 collection.

With the likes of Keanu Reeves, Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth seated in the front row, guests were positioned facing the Pacific Ocean and the horizon; the runway constructed from black-painted timber planks embedded into the beach, bordered by jagged cliffs on one side and crashing waves on the other.

This story is from the December 2019 edition of Esquire Singapore.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the December 2019 edition of Esquire Singapore.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM ESQUIRE SINGAPOREView All
THE MILD HANGOVER
Esquire Singapore

THE MILD HANGOVER

Hangovers get a bad rap. We know. If you’ve gotten this far in the magazine, you’ve surely divined that we’re mildly hungover most of the time.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 2022
AN ELECTRIC FUTURE
Esquire Singapore

AN ELECTRIC FUTURE

Polestar, the minimalist electric Swedish car brand, turns the voltage up on its competition.

time-read
3 mins  |
November 2022
LET'S GET REAL (ESTATE): LUXURIOUS LONDON
Esquire Singapore

LET'S GET REAL (ESTATE): LUXURIOUS LONDON

Royalty, shopping, the best tea and scones the world has to offer, and a lifestyle worthy of what you're working for. Here's why London is ripe for your next investment

time-read
4 mins  |
November 2022
NEXT UP....ZARAN VACHHA
Esquire Singapore

NEXT UP....ZARAN VACHHA

As Co-founder of the events and talent agency Collective Minds and Managing Director of the Mandala Masters, Zaran Vachha is definitely not new to the culture scene, but he's certainly shaping what comes next.

time-read
6 mins  |
November 2022
WHAT I'VE LEARNED...
Esquire Singapore

WHAT I'VE LEARNED...

I DON’T WEAR SOCKS except in January.

time-read
3 mins  |
November 2022
The Body Is a Language
Esquire Singapore

The Body Is a Language

A bad handshake is such a turnoff; we feel irked when someone rolls their eyes at us; we can't stop pacing when we're nervous-ever wondered how certain body language has the power to change how we feel instantly? We explore why.

time-read
4 mins  |
November 2022
EYE OF THE TIGER
Esquire Singapore

EYE OF THE TIGER

Hailing from Singapore, Japan and Brazil respectively, Evolve Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) athletes Darren Goh, Hiroki Akimoto and Alex Silva are proof that the ring demands as much from mind as it does from matter.

time-read
10+ mins  |
November 2022
THE ADONIS COMPLEX
Esquire Singapore

THE ADONIS COMPLEX

With the rise of superhero culture making a return and bringing with it the celebration of the classically ‘masculine’ body type, can men really overcome the pressure to conform when culture keeps getting in the way?

time-read
8 mins  |
November 2022
FUNNY BUT TRUE
Esquire Singapore

FUNNY BUT TRUE

A comedian, an iconic Singaporean, and now a man much evolved. After overcoming two years of pandemic limbo, unlocking career milestones one after another and undergoing a life-defining physical transformation, Rishi Budhrani is ready to emerge into the world renewed-and anew.

time-read
10+ mins  |
November 2022
LIKE NO OTHER
Esquire Singapore

LIKE NO OTHER

With its horological triumphs, Hermès has truly come into its own as a watchmaking maison. In this exclusive interview with Esquire Singapore, CEO of Hermès Horloger, Laurent Dordet sheds some light on his timepieces' rising stardom and the importance of being different.

time-read
4 mins  |
November 2022