On Anthony Vaccarello’s Saint Laurent menswear tour, we’ve been to Manhattan, Malibu, Venice, Marrakech and Paris. Now the designer lands in Berlin, presenting the house’s first-ever show in the German capital. For such an occasion Vaccarello booked out the city’s incredible Neue Nationalgalerie, a modernist pavilion designed by Ludwig Van Der Rohe, housing works spanning modernism, dada and Bauhaus, Kandinsky, Picasso and Otto Dix. As the sun set through the building’s glass façade, guests took their seats in the large atrium.

Each Man Kills The Thing He Loves was the title for the season, an Oscar Wilde quote from The Ballad of Reading Gaol – a poem written in exile following Wilde’s release from Reading Gaol having been convicted due to his homosexuality. It’s also the name of a song within German composer Peer Raben’s score for Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s 1982 queer masterpiece Querelle, sang by the great Jeanne Moreau. Cinematic references are part of Vaccarello’s design language – remember, he recently founded Saint Laurent Productions, releasing films by Pedro Almodóvar and Jean-Luc Godard.

Leather Barcelona chairs. Black curtained walls. A stirring composition fed through the building courtesy of longtime collaborator Sebastian – a dramatic piece that danced between pieces by Raben, and brooding electro beats befitting Berlin’s nightlife culture, forming a dialogue between classicism and contemporary, light and dark.

As models began to enter the room, their outfits mirrored the soundtrack, presenting modern interpretations of Saint Laurent’s time-honoured savoir-faire. Silhouettes that have become Vaccarello’s signature prevailed, through broad shoulders and slick, monochrome outlines. Exaggerated tuxedo jackets (der Smoking?) paired with frilled shirting, bowties and flute pants resembled futurist orchestral maestros, while sheer garments, soft draping and wraparound shapes informed a sensuality that was delicate to touch, yet its strength was in its rigorous definition and meticulous execution. Heels were raised, creating structure, while polka dots and leopard print accents spoke of the Maison’s eminent vocabulary. What stands out in Vaccarello’s recent menswear shows is a familiar tension between minimalist design and maximum impact. The result is collections that play between the lines, carving a sensibility that never fails to seduce.