Belgium-born menswear designer Ludovic de Saint Sernin makes clothes which require a certain amount of bravery on the part of their wearer: his signature garment, for example, is a pair of lace-up leather briefs, and a recent runway show saw a model appear in nothing but a towel (at least, so it appeared – it was actually a skirt, finely knitted from merino wool). Such is the sexually-charged nature of his collections that they have spawned an X-rated Instagram, @ludovicdesaintserninx, whereby De Saint Sernin’s numerous fans submit photographs of themselves in the designer’s kinkier styles (or, occasionally, less).
De Saint Sernin’s Autumn/Winter 2019 collection, shown in Paris earlier this year, was similarly sensual – albeit channelled through the hedonistic, hyper-glam of the 1990s, the halcyon days of the supermodel. As befitting the nostalgic mood, the cooing tones of Naomi, Kate et al – voices lifted from the fashion documentaries the designer watched religiously as a child – provided a soundtrack for a show which was his most seductive yet: “It’s time guys get their glam movement,” the designer enthused post-show. So there were low-slung trousers and high-sheen satin tailoring; diamanté belly chains and spaghetti-strap halter tops; references to legendary designers Azzedine Alaïa, in slinky, body-clinging knitwear, and Jean-Paul Gaultier, in high-waist trousers, cut to cinch the waist like a corset.
But it was a collaboration with Swarovski which provided the collection’s most memorable moments: whether a nylon tank top, across which twinkled the designer’s name, or a pair of ‘million dollar eyelet briefs’, a bedazzled iteration of his signature underwear entirely encrusted with hundreds of Swarovski crystals (a playful nod to a certain underwear brand’s ‘Fantasy Bra’). Or, for the brave, this glittering, barely-there halter dress – captured here by photographer Maxime Imbert and AnOther’s junior fashion editor, Rebecca Perlmutar – with which to channel your inner supermodel.
Hair: Kei Takano using Bumble and Bumble. Make-up: Fiona Gallagher. Model: Tao Quan at Wilhelmina. Casting: Julia Gilmour.