Saint Laurent's designer is leaving after a decade. Here's why that matters even if the closest you get is the perfume.
On 9 October, Saint Laurent confirmed that Anthony Vaccarello is leaving the house, and the creative director exit has fashion people talking. W Magazine reports he took the job in 2016 and showed his last collection at Paris Fashion Week in late September, an almost entirely gold spring 2027 show.
I own a Saint Laurent bag, a bottle of Black Opium and some makeup, so I'm not a stranger to the label, but I'd guess most of us only touch it through the small stuff. Even so, a change at the top of a house that size can change what ends up in your shopping basket, and I think that deserves more attention than the gossip about who takes over.
A creative director exit rewrites the look, not only the logo
Think about what a creative director actually decides. Silhouette, proportions, which colours get pushed, what a "this season" bag looks like. In my experience those choices travel, and the high street picks them up over the seasons that follow.
So when a house changes direction, I'd expect the shapes in shop windows to drift with it, slowly. I'd argue the sharp-shouldered, short-hemmed Saint Laurent look has been a quiet reference point for a decade of "evening out" clothes. If the next person softens it, I wouldn't be surprised to see the racks soften too.
Nobody has been named yet, so ignore the rumours
RUSSH notes that Saint Laurent has not yet confirmed its next creative director. W Magazine reports that insiders are floating Chemena Kamali, who has led Chloé since 2023 and was womenswear design director under Vaccarello at Saint Laurent. That's a rumour, and I'm treating it as one until the house says otherwise.
If she is confirmed, W Magazine notes she would be the house's first female creative director. That would be a real shift for a label so tied to a sharp, after-dark silhouette, which is one more reason I'd wait before reading anything into early whispers.
What I will say is that a creative director exit leaves a blank slate, so nothing about the next look is settled. Vaccarello is also set to collect the International Designer of the Year award at the CFDA Fashion Awards on 2 November, so expect his decade to be replayed on every feed, and a successor announcement could land around the same time.
My opinion: buy the silhouette you will still wear in 2028
My take: a creative director exit reminds us that trends have a handler, and the handler can change. If you built your last wardrobe refresh around one house's mood, that mood just lost the person steering it.
I would rather buy for the way I actually dress. That means pieces that suit my proportions, wash well and mix with what is already in the cupboard. I covered the same idea for warmer weather in Australian Spring Outfits: Which Northern Hemisphere Autumn Trends Actually Work, and the logic holds here.
I'm not writing this from the high ground. My wardrobe has capris and jorts I bought because everyone online was wearing them, random tops from hauls and sales, and at least five festival outfits I've worn exactly once. The pattern is always the same: I see it on a Reel or in a trend, decide I need it, and buy it on impulse. Then it sits in the wardrobe, and some pieces I've completely forgotten I own.
How to read a designer change without panic-buying
Headlines like this one trigger a shopping reflex. A label is "in the news", so the pieces linked to it feel urgent. In my experience the dupe lists and "get the look" posts show up fast, and suddenly a silhouette you ignored last month looks essential.
My rule is to wait one full season before acting on a creative director exit. The first collection from a new director often tells you very little about what will stick. Early pieces tend to get copied fast and can feel dated once the direction shifts again. If something still looks good to you in six months, it earned the spot in your wardrobe.
That also keeps your budget out of the hype cycle. Buying less in response to a creative director exit is the easiest cost-per-wear win I know.
It also helps to ask where a trend is in its life. A shape that has been on the high street for years is already past the point where a headline can sell it to you. The pieces most likely to date quickly are the ones that only exist because of the news cycle, so I treat a news-driven rush as a reason to slow down.
Three questions before you buy anything "inspired by" the news
- Would I have bought this a month ago? If the answer is no, the headline is doing the shopping, not you.
- Does it work with three things I own? If it only works in one outfit, it's a costume.
- Will it still make sense after this creative director exit plays out and the new director shows? If it only works in the old director's world, wait.
What I'm watching next
Two dates matter. The CFDA awards on 2 November will tell us how the industry frames Vaccarello's decade. The successor announcement will tell us where the house goes next. I'll update this post when either one lands. In the meantime my plan is simple: shop what is already in my wardrobe first, then decide whether there is a real gap to fill.
Do you follow designer changes, or do you ignore the runway and shop your own taste? Tell me in the comments. And if you want my fashion notes before they hit the blog, subscribe to the Mindful Muse newsletter.