Rockabilly Saint Laurent sees Slimane more at ease

PARIS (AP) -- Hedi Slimane delivered an ode to the rockabilly styles of the 1950s with a twist of glam rock in an energetic Saint Laurent Paris menswear show Sunday.

Most of the looks, like pointy buckled "winklepicker" shoes with white socks, bolo ties, greased hair, red bandana neckscarves, sleeveless black leather and leopard jackets — as well as his signature skinny pants — produced no great fashion surprises. At points, the 44 ensembles even seemed a touch repetitive, delivered predictably on stomping near-adolesecent models.

But crucially, the vision of this spring-summer 2014 collection felt much more at ease and consistent in its style than the almost directionless rebellion of last season.

Among the looks were also some great, imaginative single pieces, like one show-stopping black piped red jacket that could have come straight out of a 1950s cabaret. Elsewhere, a "Grease"-style leather waistcoat featured a great, removed section at the back to expose the sparkly undergarment.

Items like this will no doubt ensure that Saint Laurent under Slimane continues to sell buoyantly, as it has for the last 12 months. Elements of the 1970s and '80s infused this musing nicely, with shiny, skintight black pants sported alongside a rock 'n' roll leopard tuxedo and black mesh undergarment.

The program notes, which list nothing but the pounding soundtrack, are testament to where this designer's priorities lie: His Saint Laurent shows are where fashion and music fuse.

____

Thomas Adamson can be followed at Twitter.com/ThomasAdamsonAP