Three down, one to go. After pit stops in NYC, London, and Milan, the fashion crowd touched down en Paris for the final leg of the SS26 womenswear shows yesterday (September 29), with the likes of Hodakova, Julie Kegels, and Vaquera kicking things off. But closing out day one, as is fashion tradition now, was Saint Laurent. Last season, Anthony Vaccarello said goodbye (and good riddance) to the deeply boring quiet luxury trend that has infiltrated stores for the last few years and amped up the drama with a collection that spoke of the OTT emergence of ‘Boom Boom’. But what did he have in store for us this time? Here’s everything you need to know. 

“I LOATHE HYDRANGEAS”

The show took place in its usual Trocadero spot overlooking the Eiffel Tower, with the iconic monument doing its sparkling thing on the hour right before the show started. Outside the venue, massive bushes full of white hydrangeas had been arranged into the house’s ‘YSL’ logo, although they were so big that they could only be captured by the drones that buzzed about overhead. A bunch of celebrity guests mooched about outside, answering social media editors’ quickfire questions and chatting amongst themselves, with Zoe Kravitz, Linda Evangelista, Charli xcx, Kate Moss, and loads more among them. 

Best of all, though, was when Madonna and daughter Lourdes Leon turned up – given the flower chosen to decorate the evening. For those unfamiliar with Madonna’s lore, in 2011 the music legend was handed a bunch of flowers by a fan at the Venice Film Festival, to which she responded “I loathe hydrangeas”, and lo, an iconic pop culture moment was born. Did Anthony Vaccarello choose them for a laugh? We like to think so. 

BELLA WAS BACK ON THE RUNWAY

Bella Hadid has been having some downtime recently, with the model and her mum posting photos of her being treated for her chronic Lyme disease with a series of transfusions and operations. By the time Paris Fashion Week rolled around, it seemed she was feeling more herself again, as she stepped onto the runway in a wet-look, turmeric-hued, latex trench as a longtime Saint Laurent muse. Don’t expect to see her at too many other shows this week, though – it’s highly likely Hadid has been booked as a YSL exclusive, baby. 

HELL FOR LEATHER

Anthony Vaccarello’s Saint Laurent menswear has been getting increasingly horny across recent seasons, with the designer sending his boys out in sleazy power suits, thigh-high leather waders, and more. That slipped over into his womenswear offering more than ever for SS26, as the opulent, 80s-style excess of his AW25 outing transformed into something much darker. First out of the gate were a succession of leather looks, as Vaccarello kitted his models out in slinky pencil skirts, bold-shouldered blousons and bomber jackets, and hefty, oversized motorcycle styles. Matched with blouses bearing massive, crisp, white pussybows, and severely pointed stilettos, the look was powerful and kind of kinky, turning the wearer into the chicest dominatrix you can imagine. Backstage, Vaccarello explained he’d once more been thinking about Robert Mapplethorpe’s life and work, imagining his women to be cruising the Paris Tuileries after dark. 

BEYOND THE LEATHER

As the show progressed, the leather faded out to make way for more of the slinky, kinky latex trenches Bella Hadid was seen wearing. In the bold, jewel palette signature to Saint Laurent, the sensual styles sat somewhere between subversive evening dress and actual coat, simultaneously showing off and concealing the curves of the model’s body beneath – we’re holding our breath and waiting for the day Chloë Sevigny turns up to an event in one of these. Then, as has become a kind of tradition at the YSL show, Vaccarello turned out a series of evening gowns that spoke of why he really, really should be showing a couture collection. This time, the billowing styles were crafted from lightweight nylon, which lent them a massively modern edge – the designer said he loved the idea of the woman wearing one, rolling the hem up in a ball as she jumped into a taxi, and it coming out unscathed when she arrived at the other end and let it go.