What Anthony Vaccarello does, as he’s always done, is take the founder of the house he creatively leads as his muse. In menswear, we often see the philosophy made literal. We recognise his glasses on the runway, we see his tailoring on the body. For womenswear, the strategy is different. Yves Saint Laurent’s approach to design is channelled. Of course, even in reverence, Vaccarello’s Saint Laurent isn’t that of its founder. He has his own methodology. Collections are built around two to three silhouettes and concepts that are then explored thoroughly. For Fall/Winter 2026, the procession starts with suits.
The maison’s affiliation with the female suit is well-known. Le Smoking, Helmut Newton, nighttime in Paris: the image is so clear it’s almost pointless to conjure it. Of course, as such, it’s not the first time Vaccarello has tapped into this aspect of the legacy as inspiration, but this feels particularly relevant. Just three seasons ago, we saw bold-shouldered suits coming down the runway in a multitude of neutral shades. But, if then the point was to evoke formal masculinity – all those suits were paired with shirts and ties – here, he speaks to the streetlamp-lit sensuality of the original Le Smoking. The faithful recreation, no doubt, to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the revolutionary piece.
Worn with nothing underneath, suits in barely variable deep shades made sensuality unrecognisable from power. The untrained eye might see no difference between the 14 iterations sent down the runway. But, through a tweak in the lapel or a differently situated button, the story changes. Vaccarello is patient. He knows not to rush to a superficial interpretation of the legacy, choosing instead to expand it slowly.
If the suits relayed eroticism in a historically subversive way, Vaccarello wasn’t shy to spell it out. Cue in the slinky lace sets and dresses that came next. Silicone-laced lingerie in deep jewel tones was pure sex. Naturally worn with nothing underneath, its only counterparts were the heavy earrings and necklaces that have become a symbol of Vaccarello’s time at the maison. The erotic flair continued in translucent rubber coats.
Even against such intense competition, no piece was as memorable as the fur coats, again references to Yves Saint Laurent in the voluminous womanhood they projected. In deep contrast with the skin-tight and textured dresses, these projected out of the body beautifully, with an emphasised skirt and bulbous shoulders.
There is something delightfully stubborn in the way the Belgian designer approaches the maison. Rather than rupture its rich past, he tightens his grip on it. Silhouettes and ideas resurface each season, each collection acting as another route to get closer to the core of Saint Laurent’s allure.
Words by Pedro Vasconcelos
