As part of the teasers for Saint Laurent’s SS26 menswear collection, the house’s Instagram featured a series of short Super 8 films of Fire Island on Long Island by artist Larry Stanton. Much like last season’s collection, which drew inspiration from Robert Mapplethorpe, these previews hinted that Anthony Vaccarello might once again be grounding his designs in the work of a significant gay artist from New York’s 1970s–80s queer milieu. Stanton, who worked primarily in drawing and painting, became known for his simple, colour-rich portraits of young men. The show notes pointed toward Stanton, as well as painter Patrick Angus and experimental artist Darrel Ellis, three artists all of whose lives and careers were unfortunately truncated by AIDS, as anchors for the collection.

Described as a “suspended moment” somewhere between Paris and Fire Island, the collection looked away from the nightlife of previous seasons and into the shimmery afternoon light. This move was reflected not just in the clothing, but in the set. Back once again at the Bourse de Commerce in Paris, the centre of the famed rotunda was taken up by an installation by the French artist Céleste Boursier-Mougenot. Taking the form of a cyan-blue pool of water, upon which hundreds of porcelain bowls drifted. It was a rare moment of Zen amongst the high anxiety of the Paris schedule.

On the runway, the first look was a burnt orange shirt with a matching tie tucked between the buttons. A tailored pair of brown shorts were matched with simple black socks and a pair of patent brogues. As the models marched out, we saw more of Vaccarello’s now-signature 80s-inspired suited looks. Sharp-to-the-touch shoulders lead the silhouettes with both single-and-double breasted offerings across the tailored pieces. Coats were broad, with epaulettes that looked a foot long, tied together with judo-style belts.

The colours were vibrant. Mustard yellows, Milk Tray-purples and dusty pinks stood out, whilst there was a distinctly autumnal palette also at play. Distinctly, each look was paired with a gloriously oversized pair of sunglasses, as chunky as Erwin Wurm sculptures.