Creative Director Anthony Vaccarello, who has been at the helm of Saint Laurent since 2016, used Paris Fashion Week to remind everybody precisely what the model stands for: sharp tailoring, sultry silhouettes and a distinctly Parisian form of glamour.
The first look set the tone of the PFW show – an outsized pussy-bow shirt tucked right into a leather-based pencil skirt, topped with a boxy jacket.
Oversized pussy-bows and exaggerated, sharp silhouettes stood out as a development (AP/Aurelien Morissard)
From there, the catwalk delivered take care of look of powerful-but-female model. Black-and-white leather-based, biker vests, over-the-knee boots and navy-model caps dominated the runway.
The assortment drew inspiration from the provocative pictures of the late Robert Mapplethorpe, with its bold use of leather-based and clear, commanding traces.
Looks have been peppered with leather-based and clear traces (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
But Vaccarello additionally leaned into the softer, extra romantic aspect of the Saint Laurent archive. The finale showcased a sequence of robes impressed by artist John Singer Sargent’s notorious Eighties portray Madame X.
The clothes featured puffed sleeves, dramatic bustles and sweeping silhouettes – a reminder that class and drama can go hand-in-hand.
The finale featured ruffled robes (AP/Aurelien Morissard)
The palette was filled with carnation pinks, rusts and khakis (AP/Aurelien Morissard)
Romantic clothes featured within the show (AP/Aurelien Morissard)
Bella Hadid made her return to the runway. After taking time away from modeling, the 28-12 months-previous strode by way of a placing backyard set off with white hydrangeas, sculpted into Saint Laurent’s well-known YSL emblem, in a mustard vinyl trench coat with exaggerated Eighties shoulder pads.
Bella Hadid returned to the runway (AP/Aurelien Morissard)
Her look added further star energy to a night that already felt like a supermodel reunion, with the likes of Linda Evangelista and Carla Bruni additionally current.
Bows and blouses stood out within the assortment (AP/Aurelien Morissard)
Speaking backstage, Vaccarello informed WWD that he needed this to really feel “as YSL as possible” for his thirtieth show at the home.
He’s been exploring the concept of the Saint Laurent girl as each daring and refined.
“Louche by day, countess by night,” was how Françoise Giroud, France’s former minister of tradition, as soon as described her – a phrase that caught with him and fed into this assortment.
The staging was simply as thought-about as the gathering – with the Eiffel Tower glowing within the background, drones captured the hydrangea hedges carved into the model’s well-known emblem. Even the air was scented with YSL’s iconic fragrance Opium.
The show was set beneath the Eiffel Tower (AP/Aurelien Morissard)
Legendary muses Catherine Deneuve and Betty Catroux made an look, arriving with designer Jean Paul Gaultier, cementing the sense of trend historical past at play.
While many designers this season are debuting collections for the very first time, Vaccarello’s method was one among assurance.
He is aware of what works for Saint Laurent and he delivered it confidently: highly effective leather-based seems to be, blouson blouses with outsized bows, ethereal trench coats that may be rolled up or hung over shoulders.
Lightweight trench coats have been additionally a staple (AP/Aurelien Morissard)
The show managed to really feel each nostalgic and trendy. It captured the boldness and sensuality that has all the time outlined the home, but it surely additionally gave area to extra whimsical, romantic concepts.
For the viewers – from Madonna to Moss – it was a reminder of why Saint Laurent stays one among trend’s most glamorous tickets.
The likes of Hailey Bieber and Lila Moss joined the entrance row to observe the French trend home unveil its SS26 assortment.