Hedi Slimane revels in flummoxing his detractors. Tonight's show was, in some ways, as enigmatic as ever: the pamphlet of work by conceptual artist John Baldessari that took the place of a ticket; the Donald Judd-esque brass pillars that rose up from the catwalk as the lights went down, a set designed by Slimane himself; right down to the designer's non-appearance at its close. No bow taken, no wave.

Slimane prefers his collection to speak for itself, and it did. It was, on the one hand, a giddy and slick Sixties trip through the nonchalant glamour of the rock and roll age, seen through the lens of luxury that this designer unfailingly applies to even the most low cultural reference (see also: grunge).

The silhouette was pure Jane Birkin as ingenue: Jean Shrimpton shifts in monochrome and metallics, gilded with sequins and finished with wide-brim hats, one even a ruffled bib tuxedo dress that nodded to the house's archive. Skirts were short, suiting was bourgeois but artfully shrunken, and shoes were glittery T-bars, loafers and knee-high boots in bright space-age silver and Dorothy crimson.

It was the beatnik wardrobe that the house's founder proposed in 1968, revved up with new fabrics (mink and shredded, patchworked fur, gorgeously soft and washed leathers, herringbone bugle beads) and colours (gold, red, fuschia) for the modern age. It was the absolute embodiment of cool.

But on the other hand, and for all the criticism Slimane has drawn in the past for being too youthful, too It-ty, this collection provided an answer, even though its creator didn't show his face.

Taken apart, it was full of clothes. That is, universal pieces intended to span the broad market that Slimane's designs appeal to.

Almost every look came with a coat or jacket, mostly mannish in cut. Some were leather or fur, but many were plaid. Some were capes, in bottle green leather and zoomed Prince of Wales checks. There were Crombie styles, to the knee and warming, and a sleeveless leather look too. There were sequin-embellishments that echoed Baldessari's revolvers and abstract faces, and disco-ball-blinding paillette couture dresses, and a particularly cool addition of oversized grey blazers of herringbone tweed and flannel - a Bryan Ferry fit over minidresses here, but perfect for styling with smart trousers for your executive job, say. There was even a parka.

Slimane doesn't explain, because he wants the individual to approach the clothes their own way. And that approach, when autumn arrives, is likely to be brisk, and with credit card in hand.

View all the looks from the Saint Laurent Autumn/Winter 2014 collection