Saint Laurent once again proved its status as a style icon, introducing a new take on high men’s boots

In some imaginary fashion dictionary, next to the phrase “perfect tailoring,” there is an image of a Saint Laurent blazer. Always reinforced at the shoulders, they seem to lift the posture, and they are cut with such meticulous precision, expertise, and skill that the only thought that comes to mind is this is simply perfect, there is nothing left here that could be taken away or added. As such, it is entirely understandable that they have become synonymous with style, but a gentlemanly, nostalgic kind, slightly forgotten. In a Saint Laurent suit, it is simply impossible not to look good.

Related: Best men’s look of Fashion Month? Connor Storrie in a Saint Laurent suit

The same thoughts and sense of beauty that always wash over me when I look at Saint Laurent also washed over me last night, when Anthony Vaccarello presented his new menswear collection for Fall 2026. Unlike the Spring collection, which burst with color and brought elegance through tonal looks, with ties ingeniously woven in silk between the buttons, Vaccarello’s vision for the colder season was dark, with a silhouette that was softened in places. The typical Saint Laurent shoulders became gentler and more subdued, and the designer also sent down the runway a new version of the legendary model of high men’s boots.

Inspired by the life and work of the controversial photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, Vaccarello introduced unusually high leather boots for men in the Fall Winter 2025 collection, their extravagant character further affirmed when Alexander Skarsgård wore them on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival. That unconventional fashion choice was one of the first to launch the actor into the orbit of the “best dressed celebrities,” and Vaccarello now revives it in the Fall collection, in a black latex version.

When thinking about the initial thread of his vision for the men’s Fall collection, Vaccarello could not get James Baldwin’s 1956 novel Giovanni’s Room out of his head. The book, which has become almost sacred to the queer community, tells the story of an American in Paris who comes to terms with his homosexuality while simultaneously grappling with complex emotions and frustrations that arise from his relationship with the Italian Giovanni. Vaccarello began rereading it after being prompted by the idea that Giovanni’s Room might finally be adapted into a film, and those, as he himself said, somewhat “obsessive thoughts” shaped the new collection.

Unlike the clichéd masculinity that projects power through boxy suit silhouettes and reinforced shoulders, the silhouettes of the new blazers are slightly softened to feel more relaxed, yet the mood remains classically Saint Laurent. Impeccably tailored coats and shirts from whose collars silk scarves peek out are paired with shorts reminiscent of underwear and latex boots that reach above the knee. What usually remains private and hidden, such as underwear or a fetishized piece of footwear, introduces an unexpected contradiction into polished gentlemanliness, prompting us to reflect on the layers of personality of the people around us, whom we do not truly know at all.

Below, take a look at some of the looks from the new Saint Laurent men’s collection for Fall Winter 2026: