Anthony Vaccarello’s surprise Saint Laurent menswear show during couture week felt deliberately quiet and equal parts slick and super cool as expected. Presented in Paris at dawn, Winter 2026 unfolded at an intimate, liminal hour with a slew of VIP guests in attendance including Kate Moss, Austin Butler, François Arnaud, Charlotte Gainsbourg and others.
The emotional backbone of the collection comes from the James Baldwin’s ‘Giovanni’s Room’, the 1956 novel that challenged post-war ideas of masculinity, desire, and shame. Vaccarello zeroes in on a single moment: a man leaving his lover’s room at first light, trading intimacy for the promise and burden of what comes next. It’s a familiar Saint Laurent narrative, the morning after the night before, rendered here with restraint and clarity.
Silhouettes were lean and sinuous, walking a fine line between fragility and strength. Crumpled fabrics suggested time passing, clothes worn, slept in, lived with, while sharp shoulders acted as protective armour rather than bravado. The eroticism is present but understated, found in what’s concealed as much as what’s revealed. Nothing was gratuitous, everything felt.
The house’s signature smoking returns with a quiet authority, reinforcing the ritual of getting dressed as an act of self-definition. High boots anchor the looks, grounding the softness above. And, as ever, black dominates, chosen not for drama, but for its duality: classic and subversive.
In a season filled with excess, Saint Laurent’s restraint felt like the boldest move of all. Rather than spectacle, Vaccarello offers introspection. Winter 2026 doesn’t shout masculinity, it questions it, gently.
Discover the collection below.
