Saint Laurent Spring 2027: Gold Standard

by · WWD
Saint Laurent Spring 2027 Ready-to-Wear Collection at Paris Fashion WeekGiovanni Giannoni/WWD

Ahead of the Saint Laurent show on Tuesday night, Anthony Vaccarello forwent his usual backstage interview with key journalists, instead dispatching bouquets of very dark purple flowers and a handwritten note that read: “I’ve had this collection in mind for a long time, and I finally felt that this was the right moment to bring it to light. It’s very personal for me, charged with emotion, so this time I’d rather not say too much and let you experience all its shades.”

The Belgian designer is marking his 10th anniversary at the storied Paris house amid widespread speculation he may exit soon, and Tuesday night’s display certainly felt wistful and melancholy, like a farewell.

All his famous friends showed up, like Zoë Kravitz, Rami Malek, Kate Moss, Catherine Deneuve and Hailey Bieber, plus fellow designers Donatella Versace and Pierpaolo Piccioli. Snippets of William Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 116” were read as part of the swooning, cinematic soundtrack.

You May Also Like

As the models filed out for the finale, Charlotte Gainsbourg stepped up onto the runway to serenade Vaccarello and the house of Saint Laurent. The designer wrapped her in his arms as the crowd rose in an ovation.

But back to those “shades” mentioned in the letter: It was gold. Vaccarello has been influential in creating fashion shows based on a singular silhouette, or a style from the vast Saint Laurent iconography.

Here, the trenchcoats, pencil skirts, safari jackets, luncheon suits and cocktail dresses were all gilded in a variety of fabrics, not only lamé, but organza, guipure lace, chiffon, brocade, jacquard, metallic cotton and latex.

Models filed under three gargantuan gold chandeliers which seemed to float above the black catwalk, and added yet more majesty to the Eiffel Tower scintillating in the background. The weather was idyllic, the moon almost full and the spectacle pregnant with full-throttle Parisian chic.

Celebrity Gallery 14 Photos

View Gallery

It was mesmerizing to see gold take on brownish, reddish and foil-like casts, and assume a variety of crinkled, pleated and ruffled textures. As a punctuation mark, Vaccarello capped off the show with a dozen looks in black, led by model Anja Rubik in an ’80s-style velvet skirt suit and a drawn expression.

As the models clapped behind him, Vaccarello made a beeline toward one of the key VIP sections, a smile breaking out on his face. He bypassed a lineup of Kering brass and fished something out of his pocket that resembled keys — his PR said it was a good-luck charm — which he handed to his 5-year-old son, Luca, planting a kiss.

And then he disappeared, leaving a quote in his show notes as a clue: “A light shines all the more brightly because we know it cannot be held. What passes sometimes leaves more light than what remains.”