YVES SAINT LAURENT SS26

Immersed within the rotunda of the Bourse de Commerce – Pinault Collection in Paris, the Yves Saint Laurent Men’s SS26 show transforms Tadao Ando’s architecture into a suspended experience, built around Clinamen, the sound and visual installation by Céleste Boursier-Mougenot: a vast circular basin of water where hundreds of white porcelain bowls float. Gently drifting, the bowls brush against one another, producing a hypnotic, meditative chime that envelops the space in a muffled, rarefied atmosphere.

At the heart of the scenography is natural light, a choice that stands in stark contrast to the maison’s usual nighttime settings. For the first time, a Saint Laurent men’s show unfolds at sunset, with the sun filtering through the rotunda’s dome. Vaccarello aims to create a “dry light, free of artificial glare,” able to lend the garments a sense of clarity and truth. There are no theatrical spotlights or projections—only minimal adjustments to ensure evenness, without altering the natural effect.

The runway traces the perimeter of the basin, with models walking slowly around the water, turning the show into a silent ritual. The contrast between the cool, pale light filtering from above and the liquid blue of the basin creates an ethereal effect: reflections ripple across the water and the floating porcelain, heightening the impression of suspension.

The setting evokes a “suspended moment, between Paris and Fire Island,” a nod to the queer haven of the 1970s, celebrated as a place of escape and poetic elegance. More than a theatrical spectacle, the set creates an intimate context, where elegance is not declared but quietly perceived. The modulated sound of the bowls, the measured rhythm of the walk, and the natural light compose a tableau that converses with the garments rather than overpowering them.

The result is a true aesthetic ritual: less ostentation and more introspection, where fabric, body, and space breathe as one. A choice that breaks away from traditional luminous theatricality to embrace essentiality, as in a piece of contemporary art, allowing fashion to manifest as a pure and contemplative experience.

Credits:

Direction: Anthony Vaccarello,  Nat Canguilhem, Nicolas Salet

Scenography: © Tadao Ando Architect & Associates, Niney et Marca Architectes, agence Pierre-Antoine Gatier

Production: Bureau Betak, Bureau Future

Light: Philippe Cerceau, Sidney Baucheron

Live sound: Pierre Forrissier

Soundtrack: Sebastian Akchotè