Saint Laurent Asserts Their Dominance Over the Biggest Trend of Fall 2026

Sixty years ago, Yves Saint Laurent introduced one of the most revolutionary designs of his career: Le Smoking, a tuxedo cut specifically for women. It was an instant sensation and helped to cement him as one of the most iconic and important designers of his generation.

Current Saint Laurent creative director Anthony Vaccarello paid homage to that pivotal moment in fashion history during his Fall 2026 runway presentation in Paris, showing more than a dozen new takes on the famous silhouette — assuming you count the phalanx of black suits that opened the show, and why wouldn’t you? — each one of them elegant, refined, and very, very cool.

In a season when designers across the world — from New York to London to Milan — have shown creative takes on the classic tuxedo — blowing it up, contorting, and abstracting it in ways that ranged from the subtle to the extreme and the beautiful to the bizarre — Vaccarello’s designs stand out for their restraint and seemingly effortless chic, proving that even in a season full of gorgeous takes on the tuxedo, the house of Saint Laurent is still the master.

“I think a Saint Laurent tuxedo is still something else,” Vaccarello told WWD backstage. “It’s better cut… There’s always that sleeve… I think you can recognize a Saint Laurent jacket and Saint Laurent pants. On the street, I see copies of Saint Laurent, but I can tell you it’s not the same.”

Check out the full collection below, including a slew of latex-hardened lace looks and decadently oversized faux fur jackets — all of it very sexy and very Vacarello.