A Rose-tinted Power Play Sets the Tone
Review of Saint Laurent Fall 2026 Fashion Show
By Angela Baidoo
A set bathed in sepia tones brought Saint Laurent in for a soft landing. As Anthony Vaccarello’s choice of the warming glow gave the collection a rose-tinted sense, not of the nostalgic, but of the cinematic. Harnessing a repetition technique across his key silhouettes, the designer sought to redefine the ‘house’s stylistic language’ and provide a confident celebration of what Saint Laurent stands for today.
THE COLLECTION
THE VIBE
Soft Power, Emotional Depth, Cinematic Scope
Starting off the show, the designer led with a strong-shouldered presentation of all- black Saint Laurent suits. For every season a Saint Laurent woman may find herself in.
Known for retrofitting the traditional men’s suit to better flatter the female body, Yves Saint Laurent’s use of tailoring instilled a sense of power in women by pioneering the wearing of trousers, at a time when it would have been considered taboo. Today that power was reclaimed as the trouser suit became more masculine once again, proving that women can, and always did, wear the trousers. Not through mimicking masculinity but in breaking down the parameters that have dictated how women and men should dress, and embodying tailoring through a fluid lens.
Vaccarello’s many manifestations in lace took a technical turn for fall 2026. The structured guipure giving way to the delicately refined lace typically reserved for the bedroom. Yet with a subtle sheen from a silicone coating a durability for life in the wider world was assured. Meaning contrast skirt sets, strappy camisoles and low-scoop bodysuits will experience less tear with their wear.
In recent seasons the designer has played with what he described in his notes as an ‘urban vulnerability.’ For spring 2026 he reimagined the end use of performance nylons as voluminous balloon-sleeve ball gowns fit for a countess hosting a soiree at the Ambassadors residence in the eighties. While causing a virtual frenzy with his must-have jacket of the season – the $3,800 colour-block Cassandre windbreaker – another callback to the decade that was worn by Hailey Beiber and Charli XCX front row at the show. For fall the preference once again turned to the reframing of fabrics with slick surfaces. Wipe-clean transparent vinyl’s in rich shades of auburn and chocolate were rendered in belted outerwear that translated as both daring and practical. Giving the looks a touch of bourgeois BDSM.
Closing out the show the designer paid homage to Le Smoking, an integral part of the Houses legacy it celebrates 60 years since its runway premier during the fall 1966 couture show. As timeless and relevant as ever for women with purpose, the final styles were interspersed with floor-length lace gowns featuring severe pannier details, as if to carry the message that there will always be strength in contradiction.
THE WRAP UP
Doing away with the spectacle that comes from staging a runway show with the Eiffel Tower as backdrop, Vaccarello was determined to heighten the cinematic mood. Echoing seminal on-screen and literary works including Tennessee Williams The Roman Spring of Mrs Stone and the 1971 crime drama Max et les Ferrailleurs (Max and the Junkmen) which featured Romy Schneider as a high-class prostitute. Fall 2026 was a soft yet sharp collection which deliberately repeated variations on a set number of silhouettes as a way to re-establish the Saint Laurent pillars of power, elegance, and freedom.
