The ethos of this season’s Saint Laurent collection embraced simplicity, stripping everything down to its essence, as though the silhouettes were crafted with nothing more than “a few pencil strokes.” Anthony Vaccarello sought to strip the collection of superfluous details, distancing it from garments that rely on ornamentation and padding to make a statement. The result was a collection that concluded this edition of Paris Fashion Week with an effortlessly chic flourish.

Many of the collection’s looks were deceptively simple, yet elegant. An abundance of silky, high-collared coat dresses featured a modest fabric belt cinching the waist, imparting a distinctly Japanese silhouette. You have to imagine Yves Saint Laurent himself would have loved these looks. Elsewhere, silk blouses were elevated with a unique textural quality, being treated with silicone, while dresses combined stretch fabrics with intricate guipure lace, as modelled by Bella Hadid.

As the collection switched tracks, the final ten looks all featured skirts reminiscent of jellyfish, paired with leather blousons. Watching these skirts undulate and drift along the runway was utterly mesmerising. You can’t overlook how deftly Vaccarello manipulated proportions throughout this collection. These concluding looks were strikingly bottom-heavy, serving as a bold contrast to the distinctly top-heavy silhouettes we saw earlier on in the show.

If there was one area where embellishment was permitted in this collection, it was the shoes and accessories. Here, Vaccarello did not disappoint. A collection of pointed shoes were adorned with satin square roses, while the jewellery was crafted from rock crystal, a nod to the stone once favoured by Yves Saint Laurent himself. This mineral motif was further reflected in the show’s setting, where illuminated walls displayed rock formations, seamlessly echoing the collection’s “otherworldly mineral feel.”