Yves Saint Laurent “Fuchsia Wool Coat” ●
Women’s Collection
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1980 - 1989
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Wool
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Box Style
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¾ - Full length sleeve
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Place of Origin: France
80s Trends ●
Over-sized clothing
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Gender neutral clothing
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Neon
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Pastel
80s fashion started the change from more traditional gender specific clothing like in the 70s, and into gender neutral trends.
Icons / Influences ●
Madonna
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Fresh Prince of Bel Air
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Michael Jackson
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Princess Diana
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MC Hammer
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Jane Fonda
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Molly Ringwald
Compare Contrast SIMILARITIES ● ● ●
Oversized coat Big collar Dropped sleeve openings
DIFFERENCES ● ● ●
Color Zipper / buttons Wool / Leather
Baby Boomers and the “Professional” Look ●
Baby Boomers took over the 80s fashion trends to pull themselves away from the casual 70s look that teengers brought on. A more professional style was required because the Baby Boomers were aging and getting richer. Oversized coats and blazers became trendy while trying to channel that “business professional” look. The general style leaned more toward the masculine side.
Modern Day YSL ● ● ● ● ●
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Marketed to the “high-end cool girl” Dark neutral colors/fabrics All about the material and embellishments High-end makeup collection Hedi Slimane changed the brand’s name from the original Yves Saint Laurent to Saint Laurent. Slimane was the first creative director to change the brands name. Although the name was modified, the logo remains YSL because of it’s iconic and recognizable look. The logo we know was designed by Adolphe Mouron in 1961, when Yves was still in the house. In the Spring Summer ‘17 runway show, the logo is frequently seen split in half, usually on either sides of a zipper.
Creative Directors ●
Yves Saint Laurent (1961)
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Hedi Slimane (1997)
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Tom Ford (1999)
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Stefano Pilate (2004)
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Hedi Slimane (2012)
● Anthony Vaccarello (2016)
Anthony Vaccarello ● ● ●
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Worked for Karl Lagerfeld at Fendi Made his debut collection His high-hemmed, sexy, strong silhouettes got him customers such as Jennifer Lopez, Miley Cyrus, Alessandra Ambrosio, etc. In 2014, Vaccarello designed a collection for Versus Versace. April 2016, he was declared Creative Director for Saint Laurent. 2
Target Consumer
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25-40 age range More recently targeting the young, cool, edgy girl. Slimane brought back “the edgy girl” The YSL girl could be high class and sophisticated, or more laid back. Day or night versatile. The average customer would most likely make a six figure salary Ths customer would also buy Prada, Gucci, or Burberry items
Where to find our YSL consumer?
Consumer would shop here for home goods and decorations. Anything from mugs to towels, to candles, to bedding. An entire home could be designed using solely this store.
The Dearborn is a upscale restaurant located in downtown Chicago. Posh, small servings of food are brought out, with a fancy selection of drinks. Consumer most likely to come here on a date or with a friend.
Nordstrom would most likely be a shopping hotspot for the average YSL consumer. All the high-end brands under the same roof, with attentive staff to help you at any moment. Prada, Vuitton, Chanel, Gucci, etc.
Who is that consumer?
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Middle-aged women Blousy clothing Linens and wools Possibly wearing OSKA Professionals Boat shoes Simple hair and makeup, nothing harsh Nice handbags Quiet customers
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Young and old demographic Fur coats Sparkly jewelry Small clutches/handbags Semi-formal Business professionals Couples on dates No jeans/t-shirts Medium volume within Friendly, but knowingly posh
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Upper class men and women shopping as well as middle class. Open to all customers Browsing welcome Some women wearing all designer clothes, some wearing jeans and converse. Because this location is in a mall, any type of person could be seen here
Bloomingdale's - Home Goods
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Most of Saint Laurent’s customers are a younger age range. Bloomingdale’s seems to be geared towards an older crowd, except for this display full of home goods and decorations. There was no direct theme of this display, which seemed confusing for a customer. Nothing was placed “higher” than anything else which made it so nothing caught the eye. Most of the shelves and tables had home good such as mugs, pillows, candles, plates, journals, etc.. I could have bought anything, and it would have gone together.
SWOT Strengths- The Bloomingdale’s brand has made such a big name for itself that no one questions what it is. Even if you haven’t been there, you know it’s a high end store. I think part of what makes them successful is their reputation.
Weaknesses- The brand mostly seems to be targeted at an older audience, not as much a younger one. If they reintroduced themselves to millennials, I think they would gain an entirely new following.
Opportunities- Related to weaknesses, I think that if they reached out to a younger demographic, they would have a chance to reinvent themselves and adapt to a newer generations needs and taste. I’d say that roughly, people in their late teens to twenties are the youngest who are aware of the brand.
Threats- I think their privacy is one of the brands biggest issues because it doesn’t allow them to spread the word about themselves. Not wanting “kids” running around is understandable, but I think they’re closing out a target market they they could greatly benefit from. Young people are more willing to throw money at nice things. The brand’s “ways” are outdated and don’t attract the new generation.
The YSL Store
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Very faded colors and tones Like a museum Only one of each garment Took about one minute for one of the three sales associates to approach Associate was probably late twenties (exactly the target consumer)
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Super helpful with questions I had, and came back with new information several times. Very knowledgable about the brand she was selling and representing. Technically no photos allowed
The real customers? ●
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For the 20 minutes I was in the store, only a Korean family and a roughly 35 year old woman entered the store. The family was big, the parents were in their 50s and the “kids” in their 20s. The father seemed to be making the purchases for them. I overheard his total being over $1,000.00. Their style? Somewhat casual. Slides and sweatpants for the boy, leggings and Nikes for one of the girls. The other girl looked sophisticated, wearing black tights, a black dress, and a red wool coat, topped with Adidas shoes. This was a closer comparison to the target consumer. The father looked business professional with a rust colored blazer and a briefcase. The customer’s attire compared to the ideal target market was very different. The 35 year old woman was wearing a blouse, cardigan, black pants,short boots, with a brown leather crossbody bag.
Spring/Summer ‘17 ●
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Not many similarities between the real consumers and the target consumers. Neither party had an excessive amount of color on. Mostly dark muted tones. In the SS17 show, mostly burnt orange was featured as its pop of color. Did not see any metallics or prints on the in-store consumers.
Fall/Winter ‘17 ●
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Not many differences between the Spring/Summer collection and this Fall/Winter show. Same dark shades and brown/orange color accents, and embellishments. Many of the same broad and oversized silhouettes are the same too. Anthony Vaccarello is bringing back some of the original cuts and designs that Yves had. Some of the coats “pre-tailored” so that it doesn’t have to be custom fit. Ex: armhole sizes
Forecasting â—?
Forecasting for next season? More oversized coats and shoulder pads. Lots of sheer garments will probably be seen in combination with thick shoulders and metallics. The past two collections seem to be a collection itself, so perhaps there will be more of that to come in future lines. As we dive deeper into the electronic and digital age, I see fashion becoming more futuristic in its silhouettes and materials. At the same time, I expect to see hints of past trends appear because fashion always repeats itself. Today, the trends I see are shoulder pads, oversized clothing, and funky materials, most of those I would consider 80s and 90s trends. I think we’re about to see a whole new world mixing decades in the next few years.
Citations Leaper, Caroline. "1980s Fashion: Icons And Style Moments That Defined The Decade." Marie Claire. N.p., 29 Mar. 2017. Web. 14 Apr. 2017. "Saint Laurent." YSL Official Website | Saint Laurent | YSL.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2017. "Pop Culture 1980s timeline." Timetoast. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2017. Amarca, Nico. "5 Ways Hedi Slimane Changed Saint Laurent." Highsnobiety. Highsnobiety, 15 May 2017. Web. 15 Apr. 2017. AnOther. "Adolphe Mouron Cassandre's YSL Logo." AnOther. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2017.