Anthony Vaccarello once again captivated Paris with a show that was nothing short of spectacular, reminding the world that the Saint Laurent woman is anything but casual. I’d say it was a sublime ode to mystery, elegance, and sheer provocation. As the lights dimmed and the first model took to the runway, it became clear that this collection was not going to be a mere retread of past triumphs. By the sixth or seventh look, the audience understood that Vaccarekki was not there to recycle his superlative collection from last September, which had elevated utilitarian cotton to new heights. Instead, he pushed boundaries and redefined the Saint Laurent woman. 

The venue was dark and intimate, with sofas encircling a vast space that evoked the grandeur of the Bourse du Commerce Museum in Paris. The floor resembles a dark, wet asphalt which added a raw edge. Emerald green floral curtains, a direct reference from Yves Saint Laurent’s private apartment on Rue de Babylone, lined the perimeter of the space. A warm light illuminated the circular ceiling and thus reflected onto the dark and shiny floor. 

By the time the last model made her way around the set of two interlocking circular rooms, it was clear that Vaccarello had something entirely new in mind. The air, heavy with the scent of la premiere essence d’Opium, added to the atmosphere of sheer mystery. Almost the entirety of Vaccarello’s 48-look collection was transparent, crafted from the same fabric used for tights—a hyper-fragile material that has never been used in such a way. Tights were transformed into skirts, blouses, and dresses with phenomenal draping, demonstrating the extraordinary levels of Saint Laurent craftsmanship. 

This was not just another sheer collection though. These days, sheer dresses are a dime a dozen, but Vaccarello turned transparency on its head. He imbued his collection with a radical chic that slightly commented on how banal transparency has become in our culture. Drawing inspiration from Yves Saint Laurent’s own tangle with the transparent, like his scandalous sheer blouse from 1966, Vaccarello reminds us that for Saint Laurent, sheer was never just about revealing the body. It was about liberation, an unabashed celebration of femininity. 

The show opened with Penelope Ternes, draped in a turban that nodded to Loulou de la Falaise, the legendary muse and collaborator of Yves Saint Laurent. This was a collection where hair took a backseat to face-framing turbulence, emphasizing the enigmatic nature of the Saint Laurent woman. The silhouettes were slender and sophisticated, with garments made from pantyhose transforming into something entirely new. Silhouettes rarely veered from the formula: a top enveloped in a wrapped tank of blouse and a pencil skirt combo, with lucite bangles and earring providing the finishing touches. 

As this collection progressed, it became evident that this was no typical winter collected. The coats and jackets—few and far between—were roomily  cut, with  one standout being a rubber-looking pea coat with curved arms, a nod to Saint Laurent’s beatnik-inspired coats from 1962. The collection's color palette ranged from tan to hunter green, iris to midnight blue, maroon to heather gray, and every shade of nude in between.

For the first time since 2016, bags made a reappearance on the Saint Laurent runway. Among the most memorable was a marabou coat in brown paired with a sand-colored bag. The fur bag, large and loud, was more than just an accessory; it was a vessel for the Saint Laurent woman’s secrets.  

The show concluded with a look that subtly paid homage to Yves’ tradition of signaling his favorite model of the moment with a heart-shaped jewel. This time, it was worn backward, resting discreetly on the back of top-model Awar’s neck—-a fitting end to a collection that was as much about what was unseen as what was revealed.