Artifice. Saint Laurent SS27

June 27, 2026 | Design & Culture by Ed

Anthony Vaccarello’s Saint Laurent menswear collection seemed to have it all: a perfectly orchestrated front row amid a Paris heatwave, a new kinky shoe with an elongated toe and transparent construction, and a Fujiko Nakaya water-vapor installation as the show’s backdrop. Yet the clothes themselves felt inflated – not with substance, but with artifice.

It increasingly feels as though Vaccarello is repeating the same tropes: exaggerated shoulders on virtually everything, nylon-like windbreakers paired with tailored trousers, and trench coats rendered stuffy for no discernible reason. The flashes of eroticism are there, certainly, but they can’t speak for themselves; they get choked – though not in a sexy way – by relentless overediting.

I remember reading a few years ago that Vaccarello fantasized about doing an all-gold collection but couldn’t find a way to make it look chic. Well, he still hasn’t. The three final looks in slightly antiqued gold fabric failed to make much of an impact. Perhaps too much gold is inevitably tacky after all.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Concise Memo. Saint Laurent Pre-Fall 2026

May 22, 2026 | Design & Culture by Ed

Noting how quickly everything shifts in fashion, Anthony Vaccarello’s Saint Laurent has become a contemporary classic. The lingerie-inflected separates and gilded lace may be edging toward formula, but the Zoë Kravitzes of the world still can’t get enough of that smoky, after-hours boudoir allure – and Anthony, naturally, delivers again this autumn (and winter too, if the March show was any indication). Shearling is in, sheer black-stockinged legs are in, and the YSL Smoking now comes paired with bermudas. Some collections could have been an email, and there’s nothing wrong with that. This lookbook reads like a reassuringly concise memo on the virtues of absolute consistency.

ED’s SELECTION:

SAINT LAURENT Lace-trimmed Silk-satin Skirt

SAINT LAURENT Cropped Leavers Lace-trimmed Ribbed Silk-jersey Top

SAINT LAURENT Lace-trimmed Silk-satin Bodysuit

SAINT LAURENT Deroche Satin Slingback Pumps

SAINT LAURENT Howl D-frame Acetate Sunglasses

Mischievous. Saint Laurent AW26

January 30, 2026 | Design & Culture by Ed

Mischievous, horny, kinky – and chic – this is the ultimate Saint Laurent man as seen by Anthony Vaccarello. He’s the kind of guy Yves would have fallen in love with on a night out at Le Sept. He also makes women go crazy – in the same charged, homoerotic way “Heated Rivalry” does. Inspired by James Baldwin’s seminal novel “Giovanni’s Room“, Vaccarello was intrigued by the inner tension experienced by its protagonist. “I like the idea of being in contraction between something very conventional and something very sensual.” That tension was omnipresent in his autumn–winter 2026 collection, from printed silk ascots peeking out from the collars of crisp shirts to semi-sheer vinyl trench coats appearing in the latter half of the lineup. Stretch patent boots extending up the thighs? Corrado De Biase, Saint Laurent’s design director of shoes, knows exactly what he’s doing – and how to get the boys talking.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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High & Low. Saint Laurent Resort 2026

November 19, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

In between the ’80s-heavy color-block coat-dresses of the winter collection and the couture-inspired maxi gowns crafted in technical nylon for summer, Anthony Vaccarello introduces a cool-looking, smooth transition: a Saint Laurent resort line-up that revolves around the idea of combining – or rather, clashing – a lace-trimmed slip dress with an oversized track top. High meets low. Boudoir meets athleisure. Paris meets Los Angeles. The collection’s radiant color palette – salmon pink, cherry red, emerald green, and electric blue – reads like a visual dose of vitamin C, one that makes you pray for autumn’s grayness to give instant way to spring.

ED’s SELECTION:

SAINT LAURENT Belted Leather Jacket

SAINT LAURENT Ruched Floral-print Tulle Mini Dress

SAINT LAURENT Amalia Patent-leather Slingback Pumps

Yves Saint Laurent Vintage Gold-plated Clip Earrings

SAINT LAURENT Grain De Poudre Skirt

SAINT LAURENT Pussy-bow Checked Cotton-blend Shirt

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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French-Extreme. Saint Laurent SS26

September 30, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

While watching the Saint Laurent livestream and seeing all the celebrities arrive, I couldn’t help but wonder: are they real? Do they walk on the same earth we mortals do? Those girls and boys feel so distant – so distanced. And that’s exactly how Anthony Vaccarello narrates his Saint Laurent. The outdoor show, staged against the Eiffel Tower and awash with white hydrangeas, could not have been more pompous or otherworldly – but that’s its appeal. As in Vaccarello’s recent collections, this one revisited themes from Saint Laurent’s archives, repeated and perfected over and over again to near death. READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE.