Sunglasses and bright colours dominated a beach-ready collection, as director Anthony Vaccarello namechecked artists who documented LGBTQ+ life

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ire Island, the holiday destination near New York, has been associated with the LGBTQ+ community since the thirties. It has inspired books (Edmund White’s 1973 novel, Forgetting Elena), a 2022 eponymous romcom and now, a fashion show for Saint Laurent.

Taking place at Paris fashion week in 30 degree heat more suited to a vacation, the show notes named the beach spot as a reference for the creative director, Anthony Vaccarello. They placed the show “somewhere between Paris and Fire Island, where escape becomes elegance, and desire becomes a language”.

The collection started with this mood: the first look was a pair of short shorts worn with a silk shirt and sunglasses. There’s little doubt this shape will be on trend for men next year, with Prada also showing it in their show in Milan last week.