Anthony Vaccarello’s last Saint Laurent presentation under the Tour Eiffel became a shimmering farewell, weaving gold into every element. The runway itself turned into a gilded homage, with every garment, from sahariane to trench coats, adorned in gold fabric or sheer metallic sheen. The collection honored the house’s archives while infusing them with a fresh, sculptural direction, merging Yves Saint Laurent’s iconic shapes with Vaccarello’s dramatic reinvention.
A 20-minute delay failed to dampen the energy as the show began. In the front row, Hailey Bieber, Eddie Redmayne, Rami Malek, and Kate Moss sat alongside industry figures Donatella Versace and Pierpaolo Piccioli. The opening track, “Io vengo” by Piero, immediately evoked the 2002 farewell show by Yves Saint Laurent, which had featured Charlotte Gainsbourg performing live. This time, Gainsbourg returned to close the presentation with the same artist, reinforcing the deliberate parallel.
Gold permeated the collection as both material and symbol. Dramatic coats, wide-strapped dresses, and structured separates were reimagined in sheer gold fabric. The result balanced extravagance with restraint, raised further by sculptural high heels that stretched the runway’s grandeur. Vaccarello described the choice as a meditation on “what leaves behind more light than what remains,” a reflection on legacy and departure.
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Financially, Vaccarello’s tenure reshaped the brand’s fortunes. Revenue surged from €1.22 billion in 2016 to over €3.1 billion by 2023. Beyond fashion, the house launched Saint Laurent Productions, a film initiative backed by directors like Pedro Almodóvar and Paolo Sorrentino, with premieres at Cannes. The expansion into cinema mirrored the brand’s long-standing ties to art and music, deepening its cultural influence.
The show’s closing moment drew the most attention. Vaccarello presented his five-year-old son Luca with a small object, initially perceived as keys, a gesture some interpreted as a symbolic farewell. The brand later identified it as a charm, a portafortuna. The ambiguity mirrored the show’s duality: a celebration of tradition with an unspoken undercurrent of transition.
Vaccarello took over Saint Laurent in 2016, replacing Hedi Slimane and pausing his own brand to focus on the Parisian house. While his departure remains unconfirmed, Kering CEO Luca de Meo rejected speculation in a recent interview, dismissing rumors as unfounded. What is clear is that his leadership, both creatively and commercially, has redefined the brand’s direction. The spring-summer 2027 collection now stands as a defining peak, blending artistic vision with historical weight.
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