Saint Laurent Kickstarted Paris Fashion Week With An All-star Crowd

What does it mean to be as YSL as possible? Rumour has it, that was Anthony Vaccarello’s mantra for his 30th show at the house—and, as it turned out, he delivered.

The setting said it all: twilight under the Eiffel Tower, where winding trails of white hydrangeas spelled out the famous YSL logo. Très Saint Laurent. The fragrance drifting through the air? YSL Opium, naturally. The front row? A roll call of It girls—Charli XCX, Hailey Bieber, Zoë Kravitz, Rosé—all in lace-trimmed shorts, skirts and shell parkas. A uniform that sums up the Saint Laurent girl perfectly: unexpected, a little undone, and always ready for the after-hours. Still, it was the catwalk that shouted “YSL” the loudest.

Building on Autumn/Winter 25’s bold colour and the corpcore mood of Spring/Summer 25, this season was all about making a statement with minimal effort. A crisp white shirt and leather pencil skirt took on drama with oversized cuffs and a sweeping bow. A leather jacket became a showpiece in an exaggerated cut with sculptural sleeves. And every outfit followed the same accessories code: a simple court shoe and statement earrings.

And it's clear Vaccarello is absolutely not afraid of outfit repeating, a trait the chicest of women have more than mastered.

Colour, too, came with intent. Beyond the black-and-white signatures, head-to-toe looks appeared in navy, orange, green, yellow, purple and khaki. No fuss, no print, just pure block colour—a simplistic styling trick anyone can borrow.

Still, there was nothing plain about it. The drama came through fabric: sheer nylon, seen everywhere from parkas to floor-length gowns. Unexpected, especially for eveningwear, yet innately Saint Laurent—sultry, striking and unexpected. Backstage, Vaccarello reportedly said the gowns could be scrunched into a ball and still look chic, ushering in an air of practicality.

So, there we have signature Saint Laurent—self-assured simplicity that is in turn striking, where shape and material do most of the talking. Now to swap out our classic white shirts and leather jackets for a more attention-grabbing structure.