We should’ve known we were about to witness a different kind of Saint Laurent show when the schedule said 5:30 p.m. instead of the usual evening slot. Anthony Vaccarello’s vision for the brand has always been found in glamour, the kind that can only be seen in a dimly lit bar blurred by cigarette smoke. For menswear Spring/Summer 2026, the formula changed. Guests arrived at La Bourse du Commerce when the scorching sun was high in the sky, some donning favourites from the January show—you couldn’t go one minute without spotting the ever-covetable Joe boots—most sweating profusely.

However fun it is to complain about the heat, it was well worth it. As soon as the first looks started rolling in, the show's timing became obvious. From the slight transparencies on shirts to the twisted paper bag waistlines in tapered trousers, these are clothes to be seen under sunlight.

Designs worth mentioning are plenty, and we’ll get to them, but the most distinctive aspect of the collection might’ve been a styling choice. In a show that revolved around shirts, the decision to tuck in a neck scarf between its buttons is magnificent. Of course, to focus on the scarves would be a disservice to what they were hidden in, the highlight of the show: the shirts.

That’s where the time was spent. The shirts were undeniably mouthwatering. '80s shoulders tapered down into infinitely smaller waists, somehow staying perfectly tucked into beautifully cut pants. Out from their protruding shoulders, the light silk draped like water running through the body. Reflective and sheer overshirts and light jackets added to the wet sensation. Vaccarello has a natural talent for making the hard look simple. Even though these shirts were feats of design in their own right, they weren’t overworked, overthought.

Following a strategy not unlike the one utilised in the previous womenswear collection, here Vaccarello thinks of colour as a YSL language. From Mondrian to Marrakech, its use is a way of understanding Mr. Saint Laurent’s design chronology. Ochres were punctuated with brick brown. Pale mints interrupted by khaki green. Warm browns complemented by warmer oranges. Aubergines cut with wine reds. The call time once again explained, the show was a study in colour, who would want to risk artificially lit interpretations?

In the light of day, Vaccarello proved that Saint Laurent’s allure doesn’t need darkness to seduce. Sometimes, all it takes is a shirt and the sun.