Vaccarello’s legacy is one that will be remembered by a total unwillingness to succumb to the mundane or unglamorous.
A rumor burst onto the internet two weeks ago, quickly sending shockwaves through the global fashion community. It claimed that Anthony Vaccarello’s decade-long tenure at Saint Laurent would soon be coming to an end. If this is in fact goodbye, a show marking almost exactly ten years at the prestigious French house—and a collection made nearly entirely of gold—would certainly be an unforgettable way to go out.
This is the way it seemed, at least, at Vaccarello’s Saint Laurent Spring/Summer 2027 show in Paris. It has been ten years and two days since the Belgian-Italian designer’s initial debut in 2016, marking a decade of pure austerity, unwavering discipline, and a fierce devotion to the core codes of the Saint Laurent brand. Throughout his tenure, Vaccarello has remained steadfastly steeped in luxury and entirely unswayed by fleeting modern trends. His legacy is one that will forever be remembered for a total, uncompromising unwillingness to succumb to the mundane, the commercial, or the unglamorous.
To mark what many industry insiders believe to be the end of an era, he presented a collection almost entirely rendered in gold. "I’ve had this collection in mind for a long time, and finally felt that this was the right moment to bring it to light. It’s a very personal one for me, charged with emotion, so this time I’d rather not say too much and let you experience all its shades. With Love, Anthony," his show notes read, offering a rare, deeply personal glimpse into his creative mindset.
Against the traditional backdrop of the glittering Eiffel Tower, the historic Parisian runway was additionally illuminated by a series of grand, candlelit gold chandeliers tracking down the entire length of the set. These magnificent fixtures acted as a point of reflection and historical homage for what was to come. What followed was a breathtaking succession of sahariennes, trench coats, fluid blouses, and wrap skirts that reinterpreted the monumental legacy of Yves Saint Laurent through endless, dazzling shades of gold.
These diverse shades—spanning Byzantine gold, pale gold, Renaissance gold, matte gold, Art Deco gold, and burnished gold—were skillfully adapted through a rigorous exploration of fabrication and textile innovation. Cotton météallisée, latex meticulously coated in genuine gold leaf, delicate guipure lace, shimmering lamé, and rich jacquard provided the foundational bedrock for the collection.
Next came a series of sharply tailored two-piece cocktail sets featuring daring, strappy necklines, skirts that appeared to be carved directly from solid panels of precious metal, and brocade trousers paired with matching jackets. Several looks were finished with opulent, fur-trimmed sleeves to add a signature Vaccarello flourish. While he is certainly no stranger to preserving the foundational Saint Laurent archetype, here Vaccarello sings its absolute praises while indelibly leaving his own sharp, modern signatures impressed upon the collection.
This delicate balance of historical reverence and contemporary edge was best represented in the strong-shouldered suiting: the gilded leather jackets, the structured racerback crop tops in rich brocade, and the diaphanous mousseline scarves that accompanied the first fifteen or so looks. The scarves, in particular, created a mesmerizing flourish of softness and movement that trailed gracefully behind each model, rendered in a variety of rich jewel tones that contrasted sharply with the metallic surroundings.
The historical references ran deep throughout the evening. The staging directly recalled a famous 1991 Fall Rive Gauche collection by Yves Saint Laurent himself, which had also been dramatically staged beneath glowing gold chandeliers. Furthermore, the grand finale procession featured a stunning series of gold looks crafted entirely in lamé and brocade. Yves Saint Laurent was historically a passionate fan of the color, famously stating in a quote referenced in the evening’s show notes: "I love gold, it’s a magical color, when reflecting a woman, it’s the color of the sun."
For this collection, however, Vaccarello cleverly put things in reverse. He ended the ultra-tight, highly focused presentation as he so often does, transitioning away from the sun-drenched metallics and into a series of somber, powerful black evening looks crafted from organza and velvet. A sharp velvet suit was repeated with glittering jewel buttons and shiny bows, while a massive, black cloud-like gown was erratically draped, each garment growing progressively more voluminous and layered than the last. Under Vaccarello’s direction, dramatic flair is never spared.
The emotional peak of the evening arrived at the close of the show when Charlotte Gainsbourg emerged from the backstage area to deliver a surprise live vocal performance. The haunting chorus of the song repeated the poignant refrain, "You are so much, Yves Saint Laurent," as Vaccarello stepped out to take what many in the audience suspect will be his final bow for the legendary French fashion house.
The emotional resonance of the moment was amplified for those who witnessed a viral video circulating shortly after the show, in which the designer takes the heavy house keys out of his pocket and hands them to his young son sitting in the audience—a deeply symbolic gesture of passing on a profound legacy.
Via email shortly after the conclusion of the runway presentation, the official show notes opened with a final, telling quote from the designer: "A light shines all the more brightly because we know it cannot be held. What passes sometimes leaves more light than what remains."
If this indeed marks the conclusion of his chapter at the Kering-owned luxury brand, few words could more accurately summarize Anthony Vaccarello’s monumental tenure at Saint Laurent. Today, there are only a slender handful of creative directors capable of leaving such an enduring, transformative mark on a fashion house already so deeply steeped in historical legacy. Asking how one might appropriately sum up such a seismic, uncompromising run is difficult, but the answer remains clear: Anthony Vaccarello has firmly set the gold standard.
