“I suddenly became aware of the female body. I started to converse with the woman and to become aware of what a modern woman is”. Yves Saint Laurent doesn’t fashion any woman for his clothes, but rather dedicates his compositions and offers his creations to the woman. His sources of inspiration are inexhaustible. Crossing artistic, genre, and identity borders, his style is universal and timeless.
When he opened his first boutique Saint Laurent Rive Gauche in 1967, he dedicated his first collection to the “safari look”: clothing made of raffia and linen, adorned with wooden and glass beads, all offered to the female body. It was within this movement that he dreamed up the safari jacket one year later. Directly inspired by the uniform by military troops in Africa, the safari jacket was cut like a vague men’s shirt. A simple cotton coat in appearance, it metamorphoses into a comfortable, practical, and elegant tunic. Super feminine, it’s belted at the waist by bronze links, and its provocative décolleté is unlaced down to the navel with beige cords. Four patched pockets with gussets and flaps show up on the front, two on the chest, and two on the hips. During the photo shoot in the Central African Republic, the jacket-tunic was captured for the first time through the lens of Franco Rubertelli on the sculptural silhouette of model Verushka. A veritable praise to a new brand of seduction, she evokes the female warriors of Greek mythology.
For this summer 2013, Hedi Slimane is bringing this iconic piece to the next level. He translates and interprets the safari jacket into a feminine maxi-dress, inspired by evening dresses. Elegance incarnated, it could espouse the long body of a sylph. Suede gives this garment a sophisticated feline allure, and an exclusive “second skin” effect. The safari jacket 2013 is more couture than the original, thanks to its materials and cut. Camel replaces the sand color from before, affirming the sensual nature of a great tan. The four pockets are still present and accounted for, while the belt has been granted a few buckles. The new Amazonian is modern and eternal all at the same time, bequeathed with the sensuality of a Roman statue, of a vestal virgin. Transported into her own urban context, she sensuously shows off a wide-brimmed hat, composed with a masculine base and mixed with a sunbonnet brim from the 70s. This is the gateway to the era that Hedi Slimane is making reference to, justifying the comeback of the iconic Saint Laurent wardrobe in doing so.
Yves Saint Laurent’s Safari Jacket: Key Dates
1967 : Yves Saint Laurent shows to the world his newest creation, the Saharan look, which includes the famous Safari Jacket.
1968 : Veruschka in a lace-up Yves Saint Laurent safari jacket is photographed by Franco Rubartelli for Vogue Paris.
1969 : YSL is spotted posing with his models Betty Catroux and Loulou de la Falaise while wearing the Saharienne.
1969 : Catherine Deneuve stars in the movie Mississippi Mermaid wearing a short version of the Safari look.
1970 : The Safari jackets appear on the magazine Elle. The models wear straight trousers, laced canvas and leather boots from Yves Saint Laurent.
1972 : The magazine Marie Claire uncovers the Safari look with a green jacket, a khaki dress and a hat.
1981 : Catherine Deneuve poses with an Yves Saint Laurent Lace-up Safari jacket while being photographed by Helmut Newton for the new Ad campaign.
1983 : The Saint Laurent Rive Gauche show encompasses the Safari jacket with a thin shaped belt.
1985 : The movie Out of Africa starring Meryl Streep popularizes the Safari jacket for the first time.
1991 : The Spring/Summer ready to wear collection showcases a variety of additions to the safari look including brighter colors such as white and gold and a top round egg shaped hat.
1993 : The Saharienne design for the Yves Saint Laurent Haute Couture Spring/Summer includes new additions such as golden pins and snake gloves with a beautiful black top hat that completing the look.
1996 : For the Spring/Summer look YSL revamps again the Safari jacket.
2002 : For his last collection YSL radically reworks the Safari jacket introducing it in a huge variety of colours and cuts. The Spring Couture show marks the end of YSL’s journey. The Saharienne style is showcased in a variety of looks.
2007 : Vogue shares a glimpse of a safari dress with a brown belt and a panama hat.
2011 : The Fashion Editor of W Magazine Giovanna Battaglia is spotted while wearing a vintage YSL Safari Jacket.
2011 : The Saharienne becomes a perfume and a cosmetic line.
2012 : In the menswear collection signed by Stefano Pilati the Safari Jacket and its world are protagonists.
2012 : Keira Knightley goes in the wild nature with an YSL-inspired look for Vogue.
2013 : Hedi Slimane’s debut coincides with a unique and totally different safari look since the Safari jacket is revolutionized. The Spring/Summer Collection sees Saint Laurent shaping the jacket and the look into a more modern version, meeting the new trends of streetwear and cultural blending.
2017 : A new revolution comes with Anthony Vaccarello: in the Spring/Summer ready-to-wear collection the Safari jacket is in black leather with an underground-style cut.
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