The Modern Retro: Saint Laurent Men's Summer 2026 Show
- Justinian Mason
- Jun 26
- 3 min read
With nearly ten years as Creative Director for Saint Laurent Menswear, Anthony Vaccarello continues to push the envelope for the fashion house. Saint Laurent has seemlessly positioned itself as a luxury fashion front-runner in the current age of the internet. Unofficial brand ambassador Emma Winder plays a large part in their domination. By wearing Saint Laurent with a distinctive content style—often paired with music—she has recontextualized the house in the digital space. Surely turning new eyes to this most recent YSL show. A show that flaunts the might of subtlety.
An immidiate highlight in the show were the shoulder pad dress shirts. They convayed a statement of suave and immovable confidence. The linen fabric gifts future buyers the power of versatility and comfort, as I feel the shirt can be worn in most social spaces. The free flow of the shirt married with the stiff shoulders create a beautiful contrast that I just couldn't take my eyes off of. Another highlight were the shorts. Believe it or not, I came up with an idea back in 2017 to make pleated shorts. Albeit, I wanted to make it out of windbreaker material, but it's still great to see the concept come to life. The shorts are sleek, making the outfit look effortless. No belt is crazy, but it adds to ease of the outfit. That's a constant theme in this collection. Sharp demanding statements met with ease and intentionality.
I may lose a few of you with this outfit but hear me out. This outfit doubles down on the idea of what I'm calling stern relaxation. It's the continual motif of this collection, oversized with structure and purpose. I look at these outfits and it feels like they're telling me what they are, and could care less about any other interpitation I may have. Well, I'm gonna share my opinion anyway. Another stellar detail in this collection is the nod to business casual looks through varying decades. They took these classic outfits from past decades and reimagined them through the lens of stern relaxation. Adding to the subtlety that takes this collection to the next level. The cherry on top for me was the form-fitting rain jackets (as seen in the cover photo) which perfectly complimented the garment underneath. The fabric is reminisent of translucent latex. It acts as a complimentary sidekick to the every shirt in this collection. There are plenty of pieces in this collection to rave about; however, the stage design and ambiance of the show need to be addressed.
The show was held at the Bourse de Commerce museum in Paris. The set featured a skylight dome and a large circular pool with white bowl shaped lily pads. The scene was cool, but it didn't wow me at first. As the show began and the soft piano music played while the models took to the runway, I started to see the vision. As the show continued the music grew in vigor. Evolving from a pleasent soft piano ballad into a synth heavy, 808 driven banger. All of a sudden the camera angles evoked a different emotion. The angles hadn't changed, but they reconceived when the energy shifted. As we transitioned into the third song, we were hit with a brash, '80s industrial sound. The stint was short-lived, as the scene reset to a calm and serene ambiance, supported by violin strings and angelic vocals. Vacarello and his team used this scene to create a canvas of light and sound. Flawlessly using the music to manipulate the setting.
This Saint Laurent Summer '26 show and collection was amazing. The pieces have a modern retro feel to them. They were successful in giving a nod to the past and a dap to the future. This collection is what 1980s stock brokers thought they looked like. Every element, from the silhouettes to the stage design, was crafted with care and intention. Runway shows that make people feel something speak to the artistry of the brand beyond clothing construction. Looking forward to what YSL does next.
Favorite outfits from the show:
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