Ludovic de Saint Sernin reimagines corporate fashion with BDSM-inspired FW25 collection filled with elegance, sensuality, and power.
L'entretien – French for "interview" – is a possible life-changing moment. Think about getting an interview for your dream job. How would you prepare for it? Ludovic de Saint Sernin's fantasy would be releasing all the pressure at the club, spending the whole night there, and showing up to the meeting the next morning looking fierce and fab.
It's all about having the nerve to show your true colors even in fateful moments, without masking yourself to fit in. In an ideal world, corporate life could be more fun with a structured black leather corset with lace-up details and metallic eyelets. These two elements are kind of the fil rouge of the collection: we can see them decorating the pinstripe two-piece suit of Look 3, but we also see them in pieces that look like they're made of long leather bands that can be wrapped around the body. That's the case with wide corset belts styled with massive coats, skirts, and tops in a deep green—the shade of the miniature Ferrari car Ludovic de Saint Sernin used to play with when he was little.
The designer interprets power dressing in a quite literal way, blending classic tailoring with BDSM-inspired pieces, such as sleek, custom-developed latex knee-high boots and gloves revealed from perfectly constructed outerwear—like a black double-breasted overcoat (Look 15), a cream-colored shearling coat, or an oversized structured trench coat (Look 14). Latex experimentation began with the collection he created as a guest designer for Jean Paul Gaultier, and now he's keeping it, also presenting pink and red tubino dresses with recurring lace-up details.
Both in womenswear and menswear propositions, lace-up details create a sexiness tied to the possibility of unwrapping the dress—either completely or just partially—creating deep necklines and replacing the zipper and buttons in the trousers of Look 16, which already plays with the disruption of norms: a halter top instead of the classic white shirt and a leather tie.
Many of these elements have already been seen in previous collections, but Ludovic de Saint Sernin said, "This season, I wanted to show a new offering of clothes, layering, tailoring, and textures—to really show what you wear to project power while staying true to being sensual and looking hot and powerful."
Compared to previous seasons, less skin is shown, especially for men, and the pieces are actually a great way to look sexy without the need to take them off. In a way, with the classic sartorial shapes, the designer wanted to play with a more conservative idea of masculinity—which, of course, must remain a valid option. Backstage, he said, "As I'm aging, I have probably grown into my masculinity more, which is why you used to see me undress the boys more than dress them. Now I'm dressing them more because I'm getting more comfortable with this type of presentation of myself."
For women, Saint Sernin played a lot with materials—not only the latex we already mentioned, but also python, full lace looks, and chainmail dresses that closed the show with the hottest model of the season: Alex Consani. After this runway, we all want to work more. Especially if it's in Saint Sernin's dream office.
