5
5
The iconic tuxedo is making a comeback at Saint Laurent
With the Eiffel Tower in the background, Anthony Vaccarello unveils his Saint Laurent Fall/Winter 2026-2027 collection. Among heightened femininity, masculine elegance, second-skin lace silhouettes and emblematic tuxedos, the show was a tribute to the house’s classics — the quintessence of Saint Laurent style distilled into forty-nine looks.
© Stephane Cardinale – Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images.
By Léa Zetlaoui.
Saint Laurent, a legacy more alive than ever
For fashion houses, nothing is more precious than heritage. This is what Marie-Pierre Lannelongue, editor-in-chief of M Le Magazine du Monde, and Emilie Hammen, director of the Palais Galliera, suggested in a conversation held at the Fondation Alaïa on March 2nd, 2026. The following day, Anthony Vaccarello offered a striking demonstration of this idea with his Saint Laurent Fall/Winter 2026-2027 show.
Attending a Saint Laurent show is always a special experience. The Belgian designer’s sharp and radical vision has a lot to do with it. Season after season, he pushes the limits of Yves Saint Laurent’s rich heritage. A man of few words, both literally and figuratively, he readily acknowledges that repetition lies at the heart of his stylistic language. Therefore, it is no surprise that he chooses to rigorously revamp a few silhouettes in his collections, rather than going into multiple directions.
A cinematic vision of fashion
If Saint Laurent’s heritage remains so vibrant today, it is because fashion is not its only anchor. On several occasions, Yves Saint Laurent’s designs have been immortalized on camera. Thanks to cinema and icons, such as Catherine Deneuve and Romy Schneider, his aesthetic has deeply imprinted on the collective imagination.
Today, Anthony Vaccarello extends this cinematic dimension. It is worth remembering that before founding Saint Laurent Productions in 2023 and producing films like Emilia Perez, he was already designing his fashion shows like fragments of a movie. Where some rely on theatrical spectacle, his approach is more subtle, filled with drama, tension and emotion. One can notice the stroke of a true filmmaker.
60 years of tuxedos by Saint Laurent
At dusk on March 3rd, 2026, the setting welcomed us into the intimacy of a modernist residence. A replica of a bust that once decorated Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé’s apartment was facing the Eiffel Tower. This staging conveyed the message of this Fall/Winter 2026–2027 collection. More than a tribute, it was a rite of passage from past to present. For the main piece revamped by Anthony Vaccarello, this season was none other than one of the house’s classics, the women’s tuxedo.
Launched in 1966, Yves Saint Laurent’s tuxedo sparked a small gender revolution. It is difficult to imagine today that sixty years ago it was uncommon for a woman to wear trousers. Yet, with this simple garment, Yves Saint Laurent helped shake up the boundaries between genders.
The show opened with a series of sharply cut, double-breasted suits of almost unreal rigor. Strongly defined shoulders morph into a supple, yet structured waist. That elongated silhouette ran throughout the entire collection. Far from the stereotypical power uniform, tailoring here becomes a territory of emotion, where strict lines are imbued with unexpected softness and restrained sensuality.
At nightfall, the Belgian designer further blurred the lines. Transparent lace coated with silicone blended rigor and flexibility, turning fragility into tactile strength. Voluminous shearling coats, belted at the waist, wrapped the body in an almost domestic warmth, like an intimate suit of armor.
This is where Anthony Vaccarello’s talent lies. Rather than offering a demonstrative vision of empowerment, the designer drew the portrait of a powerful, confident woman. And that self-assurance was expressed through attitude rather than discourse.
All the looks from The Saint Laurent Fall/Winter 2026-2027 show
