We’ve come a long way since the 1960s, when Yves Saint Laurent first debuted his tuxedo. Originally designed to be worn in smoking rooms to protect one’s clothing from the smell of cigars, the garment was reserved exclusively for men.
Saint Laurent, however, daringly reinterpreted these codes for the female body, provoking outrage in the process. It stood as a true signpost of its time—a beacon of hope that women might one day equal men, even surpassing them in power when wearing the suit. He reportedly sold only one of his original tuxedos, while the Rive Gauche version, a slightly less provocative design, found greater success. Always ahead of the curve, his clientele needed time to warm to the idea of a woman in a tuxedo.
Celebrating sixty years of Le Smoking, the brand’s iconic tuxedo, Anthony Vaccarello flooded the runway this season with the kind of sharp tailoring that feels quintessentially YSL. Despite the historical controversy, there’s no denying that a woman in a smoking suit, with those crisp shoulders and fine cuts, exudes a power that lingers.
Opening and closing the show, we saw riffs on the revered suit. Having revisited Le Smoking many times during his ten-year tenure, Vaccarello also introduced daytime versions this season in dark pinstripes and with more relaxed linings—a touch more casual but never truly casual. Paired with dark sunglasses and slick side-part updos, the models glided along the runway with the seductive power that others attempt but only YSL seems to achieve.
An interlude of shearlings, both bomber-style and knee-length, appeared with black silk belts cinched just below the hips. Apart from these oversized coats, this season really felt like an ode to the body, an homage to Saint Laurent’s lifelong fascination with adorning it in the finest, most delicate materials.
Then came a sequence of lace looks—cardigans, bodysuits, straight skirts, and mini dresses. To enable more advanced tailoring, the lace was coated in silicone, rendered in muted earthy tones so emblematic of the house. Fragile silk slips with lace detailing followed in the same palette, while silicone was taken further to create opaque trenches, tightly cinched at the waist to create sultry, cinematic silhouettes.
Makeup added to the drama with smoky eyes and deep red lips. Jewellery was bold, with dove-shaped pieces and heavy necklaces resting against sternums, encouraging further attention towards the fragility of the body and the garments. The heels were a standout, their ultra-elongated pointed toes subverting the usual silhouette with something more daring.
While other creative directors have steered YSL toward something more playful—think Hedi Slimane’s tenure—this was a timeless celebration of sixty years of Le Smoking, meticulously designed and beautifully executed. The wonder of this season truly lay in its details: countless nods to the brand’s origins and the subtle evolutions that have sustained its success.
