Saint Laurent’s Spring/Summer 2026 Collection: A Parisian Night Garden

Under the sparkling lights of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Yves Saint Laurent unveiled its Spring/Summer 2026 collection on September 29, 2025. The demonstrate, orchestrated by Anthony Vaccarello, blended power, sensuality, and poetry, honoring the house’s legacy while embracing a modern, fearless femininity.

A Cinematic Setting

The event took place in a formal garden lined with white hydrangeas spelling out “YSL,” with the illuminated Eiffel Tower providing a dramatic backdrop. The Trocadéro was chosen as a highly symbolic location, echoing Yves Saint Laurent’s 2002 show and transforming the site into a cultural landmark.

The Collection: Contrasts and Themes

The collection opened with strong silhouettes – power-shouldered leather suits, corsets, pencil skirts, and biker jackets – punctuated by oversized pussy-bow blouses. A full leather look, complete with a military cap, paid homage to Robert Mapplethorpe. A shift in mood followed with sheer nylon raincoats and dresses, offering softness and transparency. The show culminated in billowing nylon gowns with ruffles and sweeping skirts, adding a romantic counterpoint.

Key Elements and Materials

The collection explored a deliberate arc “from radical leather to soft gowns,” unified by the spirit of the Saint Laurent woman: complex, unapologetic, and strong. Key elements included:

• Structured Suits: Single or double-breasted suits with structured shoulders and slightly oversized volumes.
• Silicone-Coated Lace: Mini-jackets, dresses, pencil skirts, blouses, and tank tops in shades of ocher, rust, olive green, teal, and black.
• Silicone Trench Coats: Oversized trench coats with a technical, lucida texture, reminiscent of Yves Saint Laurent’s designs for Catherine Deneuve in Belle de Jour.
• Eco-Furs: Short or long eco-furs with jewel-buckled closures and bows.
• Tuxedos: A tribute to Yves Saint Laurent’s 1966 introduction of the women’s tuxedo, featuring sumptuous jewels.

Bella Hadid’s Return

Bella Hadid made a notable return to the runway, wearing a slick vinyl trench coat that embodied the collection’s theme of contrast: structure and fluidity, toughness and allure.

A Manifesto of Beauty

Beneath the Eiffel Tower’s glow, the show was more than just a fashion presentation; it was a manifesto of beauty as presence, resistance, and imagination. Anthony Vaccarello’s collection presented a plural feminine silhouette, oscillating between strict cuts and romantic volumes.