Reverting from its Parisian roots, Ludovic De Saint Sernin presented a compelling exposition of looks exploring the work of Robert Mapplethorpe and the label’s founder in New York City. Images from Mapplethorpe’s archive and their respective characters were animated by the designer. “In my own fantasy, this was a collaboration with him,” he notes in a statement. “I imagined he was still alive today, and that we were creating silhouettes that he would want to photograph; clothes that he would love, and that feel as much him as they do me.”

Highlights of the collection are developed in leather and BDSM influences, with an emphasis on ’80s power dressing in homage to the era of Robert Mapplethorpe’s grandest prominence. Floral motifs are splattered across hand-cut velvet and lacquered appliqués onto gossamer vests, slip dresses, and blouses in featherlight Japanese cotton organdy.

Dark eroticism pivoted ostensibly innocent, as the collection offers a range of blended pieces perfect for the day-to-night city scene. Outerwear exists in cinched trench coats coated in inky calfskin, chocolate shearling, and glossy scarlet ponyhair, alongside wool tailoring with perpendicular shoulders and an in-built eyelet bustier construction. Chic dresses are asymmetrically cut and intertwined with fine pinstripe embroideries, and tailored pants glide along thighs and calves with split seams to create a delicate flare.

A cheeky cleavage bralette and a butt-flashing pant with a lace-up bust-shaped cutout at the rear add to the collection’s salacious notes. Elsewhere, leather bands are studded with eyelets and interlaced to create a body-skimming halterneck bandeau dress. Referencing Mapplethorpe’s adoration for shoes that reflect powerful imagery and seduction, the collection’s footwear is sponsored by Louboutin.

Fine jewelry pieces for the FW24 lookbook are in collaboration with the esteemed Spanish fine jewelry house TOUS, endorsing Ludovic de Saint Sernin in bringing its first fine jewelry pieces to life for the brand’s NYFW debut. “TOUS has such an incredible savoir-faire in the field of fine jewelry, which they’ve been cultivating for over a century, and we were fully immersed into their world,” the designer remarks. The jewelry and accessories are in the form of 18k gold-plated and black enamel bangles, square plate earrings, and quartz-studded chokers to amplify a sense of New York glamour tied to the collection.

Ludovic de Saint Sernin’s FW24 evoked a dark fantasy in a high-fashion setting, creating a lasting need for sensuality in everyday dressing.