Following a shimmering, emotionally charged swan song at Paris Fashion Week, Anthony Vaccarello’s departure from Saint Laurent was officially confirmed on October 9. The announcement marks the definitive close of a transformative ten-year chapter for the historic French fashion house. Appointed in 2016 to succeed Hedi Slimane, the Belgian designer inherited a brand in the throes of a youthful, West Coast-inspired indie grunge identity. Rather than abandoning this gritty foundation or reverting strictly to historical reverence, Vaccarello systematically reshaped the label. He forged a seductive, uncompromising vision of liberated sensuality defined by languid, body-skimming silhouettes, razor-sharp tailoring, and an aura tailor-made for slipping into the sultry Paris night with the glittering Eiffel Tower as a backdrop.
Vaccarello’s era at Saint Laurent was fundamentally rooted in physical sensation. His garments were engineered to make the wearer feel as powerful and self-possessed as they looked. As Vaccarello himself noted in a candid interview on the Fashion Neurosis podcast with Bella Freud, the archetypal Saint Laurent woman "isn’t trying to please anyone or have sex with someone else… She can have sex with herself. She doesn’t need someone to do whatever she wants."
Her wardrobe functioned as a tactical toolkit for pursuing pleasure and expressing hidden desires. Sharp officewear was routinely juxtaposed with dominatrix-approved latex and sadomasochistic leather, realizing a design ethos he famously termed "bourgeois perversity"—a delicate, electric balance between high elegance and uninhibited abandon, between acceptable "good taste" and pulse-racing fetishism. Marking an end to this high-octane glamour, we examine the seven defining collections that cemented Vaccarello’s legacy as one of contemporary fashion’s most potent provocateurs.
Detailed Chronology: The Seven Defining Collections
1. An Agenda-Setting Debut (Spring/Summer 2017)
When Vaccarello took the helm of Saint Laurent in 2016, he faced a uniquely complex brand legacy. His predecessor, Hedi Slimane, had controversially dropped the "Yves" from Yves Saint Laurent in a high-stakes bid to modernize the house. Vaccarello immediately asserted his distinct vision by boldly reinstating the classic YSL branding, suspending a massive neon logo from a construction crane above his debut runway venue.
This reclamation extended directly into the clothes and accessories. The collection introduced the now-iconic Opyum pump, which swapped the traditional stiletto heel for the interlocking metal YSL monogram. This agenda-setting accessory was an instant commercial and cultural success, signaling a decisive pivot away from Slimane’s indie-grunge aesthetic toward a mature, after-dark Parisian glamour. Subtle hints of Vaccarello’s future staples were firmly established here: exaggerated 1980s power suiting, dark and seductive fabrics, and leg-lengthening micro-minis.
2. Latex and Lust (Autumn/Winter 2020)
Saint Laurent’s AW20 collection stood as Vaccarello’s most explicitly sexual runway statement up to that point. It was during this cycle that he coined the phrase "bourgeois perversity," drawing direct inspiration from Catherine Deneuve’s iconic performance in Luis Buñuel’s erotic psychodrama Belle de Jour—a film famously costumed by Monsieur Saint Laurent himself.
Vaccarello gleefully toyed with the tension between good and bad taste. Tailored double-breasted blazers and prim, pussy-bowed blouses were violently paired with latex leggings, thigh-high boots, halter-neck tops, and ultra-tight turtlenecks that acted as a lustrous second skin. Despite the collection’s heavy sadomasochistic undertones, AW20 broke away from Vaccarello’s habitual all-black palette, introducing lurid, jewel-toned purples, rich reds, and electric blues. Presented just weeks before the global fashion calendar was plunged into the sexless months of pandemic lockdowns, the collection served as an enduring reminder of the unyielding power of the erotic imagination.
3. The Power Suit (Autumn/Winter 2023)
Moving outward from the boudoir and into the boardroom, Vaccarello explored the architectural limits of power dressing. While he had experimented with 1980s power silhouettes since his debut, the AW23 collection delivered the most distilled, authoritative version of this vision. Razor-sharp tailoring was reimagined not as corporate camouflage, but as a direct instrument of dominance and seduction.
Voluminous, broad-shouldered blazers commanded physical space, while knee-grazing pencil skirts featured provocative, high-cut slits down the center. This collection directly catalyzed the industry-wide "corpcore" and "office siren" micro-trends. A testament to its cultural resonance, Bella Hadid opened the subsequent SS25 show dressed as Yves Saint Laurent himself—attired in a sharp black double-breasted suit and thick-rimmed glasses—encapsulating the sensual androgyny at the very heart of Vaccarello’s tenure.
4. Sensual Stockings (Autumn/Winter 2024)
Opaque tights are historically treated as a utilitarian necessity—a functional shield against the winter chill rather than an object of desire. With the opening look of his AW24 collection, Vaccarello completely upended that paradigm by transforming hosiery material into a completely sheer, micro-mini bodycon dress.
What followed was a parade of transparent, nude-toned ensembles that walked the razor’s edge between underwear and outerwear, crafted entirely from the gossamer fabric of tights. Vaccarello cited diverse inspirations, ranging from modern influencer culture and the omnipresence of streetwear yoga pants to the legendary sheer Jean Louis gown worn by Marilyn Monroe to sing "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" to JFK—and later famously reinterpreted by Kim Kardashian at the 2024 Met Gala. In Vaccarello’s hands, this fleeting, fragile aesthetic was elevated to high luxury. Tights inherently run, tear, and degrade, and that vulnerability was precisely the point. "Everyone was trying to do more and more commercial pieces," Vaccarello reflected, "and I really wanted people to dream about something unrealistic." Suddenly, nude hosiery became the ultimate object of fantasy.
5. The Boys in Berlin (Spring/Summer 2024 Menswear)
Berlin has long served as an epicenter for androgynous fashion icons and uncompromising tailoring. For the SS24 menswear collection, Vaccarello staged a homecoming of sorts in the German capital, paying direct homage to cultural legends like Marlene Dietrich and David Bowie through precise, gender-fluid tailoring.
Skinny tuxedos, sharply structured shoulders, and plunging necklines proved conclusively that the Saint Laurent man was every bit as sexually liberated as his female counterpart. The collection blurred the lines of traditional menswear, anchoring male identity in fluid draping, exposed skin, and an uninhibited nocturnal hedonism.
6. When Yves Met Mapplethorpe (Autumn/Winter 2025 Menswear)
The AW25 men’s collection was conceptualized around an imagined, cross-generational rendezvous between legendary provocative photographer Robert Mapplethorpe and Monsieur Saint Laurent. The resulting garments brilliantly married classic Savile Row-style tailoring with fetishistic leathercraft.
"Respectable on the top, but dirty on the way down," Vaccarello quipped backstage. Office-appropriate blazers and pristine shirts were styled alongside kinky, thigh-high leather wader boots. Patrick Bateman-esque corporate suiting was contrasted with weathered, distressed leather aviator jackets. Within this collection, straitlaced bourgeois virtue was revealed to be nothing more than a thin, easily penetrable façade.
The way a human body moves beneath garments can be an inherently sensual act. In modern dancer and choreographer Martha Graham’s pioneering 1930 solo piece Lamentation, the artist contorts herself inside a tubular, restrictive jersey fabric as an expression of pure grief. For Vaccarello, however, this sculptural restriction became the departure point for an exploration of nocturnal Parisian elegance.
For the SS23 women’s presentation, the designer delved deep into the house archives to revive the hooded capuche dress that Yves Saint Laurent helped popularize in the mid-1980s. These languid, gossamer silk gowns were paired with oversized, masculine outerwear, once again merging rugged tailoring with absolute feminine sensuality. These jewel-toned hooded silhouettes instantly became red-carpet staples worn by global icons including Kate Moss, Jenna Ortega, and Beyoncé.
Supporting Context & Metrics: The Business of Provocation
Anthony Vaccarello’s tenure at Saint Laurent cannot be measured by aesthetic impact alone; it coincided with a period of phenomenal commercial growth for the French luxury house, which operates under the Kering luxury conglomerate.
Pioneer of "Corpcore," Sheer Hosiery Revival, Hooded Gowns
Under Vaccarello, Saint Laurent consistently outperformed broader market trends, solidifying its position as one of Kering’s most reliable profit engines alongside Gucci. By maintaining a strict, uncompromising design vision that prioritized high-octane glamour, fetish-adjacent materials, and razor-sharp tailoring, Vaccarello proved that commercial viability and avant-garde provocation are not mutually exclusive. The Opyum pump alone generated tens of millions in leather goods revenue, proving that his distinct brand of branding—loud, proud, and unapologetically sexual—translated directly into retail dominance.
Official Statements
The fashion industry reacted with a mixture of reverence and anticipation following the official announcement on October 9.
In a joint statement released by Kering and Saint Laurent, the house expressed deep gratitude for Vaccarello’s decade of visionary leadership:
"Anthony Vaccarello has profoundly shaped the identity of Saint Laurent over the last ten years. His unique artistic vision, combining uncompromising modernity with a deep respect for the heritage of Monsieur Saint Laurent, has propelled the house to unprecedented heights. We thank him for his immense contribution, his creative rigor, and his unwavering dedication to the brand."
Reflecting on his departure following his critically acclaimed Paris Fashion Week presentation, Vaccarello offered a characteristically poised reflection on his decade at the rue de l’Université headquarters:
"Saint Laurent has been my home, my canvas, and my obsession for ten years. Together, we built a world where women are powerful, fearless, and unapologetically themselves. I leave knowing that the woman we created together will continue to walk the Paris streets with her head held high, wrapped in shadows and gold."
Future Outlook: What Lies Ahead for Saint Laurent?
As the dust settles on Paris Fashion Week and the fashion community processes the end of the Vaccarello era, speculation has immediately turned toward the future of the house. Kering has yet to announce a successor, leaving the industry to indulge in rampant speculation regarding who might inherit one of the most coveted creative director seats in global luxury.
The incoming designer will face the formidable challenge of following a decade-long tenure defined by a singular, highly cohesive aesthetic. While Vaccarello made latex, sheer hosiery, and power shoulders synonymous with modern Saint Laurent, the house’s foundational DNA—established by Yves Saint Laurent himself through the introduction of the Le Smoking tuxedo and the global exploration of multiculturalism—remains a vast, fertile archive.
Whether Kering opts for an internal appointment to maintain stylistic continuity or brings in an outside disruptor to radically pivot the brand’s trajectory once more, the next chapter of Saint Laurent will be heavily scrutinized. One reality remains absolute: Anthony Vaccarello has permanently rewritten the modern definition of Parisian glamour, leaving behind a blueprint of strength, sensuality, and unapologetic self-possession that will influence the trajectory of luxury fashion for decades to come.
