Some comebacks are quiet. Others—measured in theatrical pauses, deliberate gestures, and ritualistic solemnity. Saint Laurent, in its first official menswear show in years on the Paris Fashion Week calendar, chose a third option: a comeback as spectacle. Not classical theatre—something closer to a French nouvelle vague romance, staged as an extravagant opera with a modernist libretto. Or perhaps Anthony Vaccarello simply performs his own version of the “contemporary man”: a figure who’s left the tie behind and wrapped himself instead in satin and studied nonchalance.
The set, glazed in icy blue and dotted with floating bowls that looked like futuristic tableware for the gods, left no room for doubt: this was never just about clothes. This was about atmosphere. In Vaccarello’s Saint Laurent, a man doesn’t get dressed—he orchestrates himself anew, from the pleat of his shirt to the choice of fabric that might have once been jersey but now masquerades as silk.
Once upon a time, a man had a suit, a coat, and—at best—a cardigan for weekends in Deauville. Now, according to Vaccarello, all he needs is a technical trench, a fabric resembling ripstop nylon, and a shirt that looks as though it’s been carefully rolled under a pillow for six hours. The look isn’t meant to appear “put together.” It’s meant to look disturbingly put together—somewhere between dress rehearsal and full-blown performance.
Vaccarello proposes a new silhouette: elongated, narrow, waist clearly cinched—as if every man carried within him a latent ballerina. Trousers sit high, sleeves flare wide, and colors plunge deep. And though red—the most dramatic of pigments—played the lead role, it wasn’t a scream. It was the silence after a storm, the warm hum of self-assurance.
Vaccarello doesn’t provide clear answers. His Saint Laurent isn’t a fashion house—it’s a theatre. A stage of absurdity and beauty, where classicism is both mocked and celebrated. He says: “Wear classic pieces”—but only if you can wear them like a tuxedo. He says: “Color is courage”—but only if you can walk across the room without hesitation. Fashion stops being camouflage. It becomes a microphone. And you—whether you like it or not—have something to say through it.
In an era where fashion often resembles a screensaver, Saint Laurent delivers something else entirely. A style that doesn’t seek approval. A wardrobe that doesn’t ask to be liked—it insists on being present.
Vaccarello opens a door—not just to the modern man’s closet, but to his psyche. He whispers: “Don’t be afraid of color. Don’t be afraid of softness. And above all, don’t be afraid of yourself.” Because if a technical fabric can become the new symbol of evening elegance—then what else inside you is waiting to transform?
Photos courtesy of Saint Laurent
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