Trending: Love In Morocco

Yves Saint Laurent’s discovery of Marrakech in 1966 was an exceptional case of love at first sight. So profound was his experience that he immediately decided to buy a house there with his then-partner Pierre Bergé, returning regularly to work on his collections. While Marrakech served as Saint Laurent’s muse (it most notably awakened his celebrated sense of colour), Bergé in turn restored the cultural legacy of the Moroccan city by revitalising its edenic Majorelle Garden and establishing the Berber museum; he even masterminded the newly opened Musée Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech to preserve the revered designer’s work in a place where he lived, worked and loved in. It’s only fitting, then, for Anthony Vaccarello to pay homage to a destination so close to the hearts of these two luminaries in the wake of Bergé’s passing.

The allure of Marrakech is palpable in the menswear for Spring 2018: billowy sheer tunics evoke sweltry desert breezes; floral motifs point to the myriad spices like cumin, saffron and cinnamon; a tie-dye varsity jacket rendered in multicoloured silk references the vibrant bursts found at rainbow souks. There are hippie souvenirs like beaded necklaces, bracelets and shoes, and discreet charms like traditional weaving stitched along V-necklines and ethnic print and patch detailing. Vaccarello’s Marrakech outing is both earnest and emotional, capturing the spirit of the city with scant trace of kitsch — the perfect ode to a place which both Saint Laurent and Bergé fell forever in love with.

Words by Yong Wei Jian