Indulge In the Splendor of Saint Laurent's Rock 'n' Roll Red Carpet

By Julianne Escobedo Shepherd | February 11, 2016 | 4:20pm

Entertainment

Wednesday night, Saint Laurent designer Hedi Slimane threw down a menswear show at the Hollywood Palladium, the site of many a tuff rock ‘n’ roll show.

Accordingly, Slimane pulled from his neverending bag of ‘60s and ‘70s tricks, sending typically scrawny, disaffected Sunset Strip youth down the runway in gold-fringed leather jackets; fur culottes; druggy, dandy cravats; and, as ever, Slimane’s favored hyper-skinny stovepipe trouser. He captured a moment—Vinyl, Martin Scorsese’s ‘70s-worshipping rock series for HBO, debuts this Sunday, and star Juno Temple would look at home in this explosion of a patchwork fur coat—but also paid homage to the archive of Yves Saint Laurent, so important a cultural predecessor that his visage was just stamped on a Euro (he also HELLA looks like me on it, thank you Europe for putting my face on your coinage).

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Slimane’s proclivities towards making everyone look like Jim Morrison and Pamela Courson, basically, are no surprise; in his tenure at Saint Laurent he’s adhered to a general rock aesthetic that’s veered in the direction of the ‘70s or the ‘90s depending on the season. However, one MAJOR surprise was the red carpet (okay, it was black), and how many interesting people showed up wearing their own interesting looks, whether pulled from Slimane’s catalogue or no. For instance! Above, the uncanny union of Twin Shadow (aka George Lewis, Jr, who does NOT look like his girlfriend’s dad, for the love of god), Zöe Kravitz, Lisa Bonet, and Lenny Kravitz, being basically two generations of rock excellence and looking almost too dewy to exist.

Model Asia Chow was one of the few attendees who strayed from the ‘70s look, giving more of a prom queen gone bad aura in tulle and a jean jacket. Courtney Love was straight Studio 54, though, in Saint Laurent lamé, a name Hedi should probably trademark by this point.

Model Dree Hemingway channeled her own rocker look, but no amount of ripped leather pants will get you the inherent tough vibes of someone like Joan Jett, who has been wearing leather for so long it seems she came out the womb in it.

Emma Roberts took the Saint Laurent rebellion to the Upper East Side, while Skye Ferreira—where’s tha album, girl—and singer-songwriter Soko gave off a natural rebellion that no ensemble could conjure. Love the furry jacket, though. Jessica Stam is very successful at being Jessica Stam.

Oh, so much Saint Laurent! Jessica Alba tries on another lamé creation, while Dakota Fanning and Elle Fanning look a bit like 1980s supermodels on their way to the discotheque. Lady Gaga is really not having this carpet and is simultaneously channeling her glam rock origins and Michael Jackson.

Kravitz, Fonda, Stallone—just three old pals having a grand old time.

Speaking of BFFs, here’s Biebs giving that slightly stoner blue steel he’s been doing, Vogue’s Hamish Bowles giving that slightly knowing British grimace he does sometimes, and Mackenzie Foy—aka RENESMEE!!!—looking like RENESMEE!!!!

Miguel contains multitudes in this chill windbreaker and python boots, while Patrick Schwarzenegger seems a little more uncomfortable in the night’s look; I still don’t really fuck with brown boots and a black ensemble, but that’s just me. Sam Smith? Is that you? What did you do with Sam Smith? Camo is perennial, anyway.

Fun for the whole family, it’s Scout Willis, Talulah Willis (looking like Bikini Kill’s Tobi Vail) and Demi Moore. All Saint Laurent is easily identifiable as Saint Laurent after like four looks.

Chris Cornell brought his sweet 11-year-old daughter, Toni; I would describe his look as splitting the distance between athleisure fuccboi and fashion cholo? No? JD King and Linda Ramone pose a philosophical question, which is why people in LA in the ‘70s wore so many top hats? Was this like, class resistance? Anyway. Josephine de la Baume and Mark Ronson are lovely and well put together as ever, and the Hedi Slimane spirit even got Portia DiRossi and Ellen Degeneres in the mood for some ‘70s flourishes—check out Ellen’s scarf.

In conclusion, please take in this front row, which seats Marissa Ribisi and Beck and their two children next to Justin Bieber next to Joan Jett (is that Anthony Bourdain in the second row? rude) followed by Mark Ronson in the same jacket as Beck, and Kim Gordon.

ISN’T FASHION A BLAST?

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Images via Getty.