Saint Laurent Review 2026: Le Smoking and the Empowerment of Women

In 1966, Yves Saint Laurent did something that permanently altered the course of fashion history. He put a woman in a tuxedo. The Le Smoking suit — a sleek, perfectly tailored black dinner jacket worn without a skirt — was radical, provocative, and immediately iconic. It was not merely a garment; it was a manifesto. It declared that the language of male power could be spoken fluently, and sublimely, by women. Nearly six decades later, that declaration remains as relevant — and as beautifully sharp — as ever.

Le Smoking: The Most Revolutionary Garment of the 20th Century

Before Le Smoking existed, the idea of a woman in a dinner jacket was, at best, eccentric and, at worst, scandalous. When Yves Saint Laurent debuted the look in his Autumn/Winter 1966 collection, American Vogue refused to photograph it. The establishment was threatened. But the women who understood it — Bianca Jagger, Nan Kempner, Betty Catroux, Helmut Newton’s muses — wore it with a confidence that made the piece immortal.

The genius of Le Smoking was not in its novelty alone. It was in its transferability of power. The tuxedo, for centuries a symbol of male authority and formality, became, upon a woman’s body, an act of claimed sovereignty. Worn with nothing underneath, with a wide-brimmed hat, with stilettos or with nothing on the legs at all, Le Smoking adapted endlessly — but it always meant the same thing: I am in charge.

Yves Saint Laurent: The Designer Who Liberated Women

Born in Oran, Algeria in 1936, Yves Henri Donat Mathieu-Saint-Laurent was working at Christian Dior by the age of 17 and had taken over as Creative Director by 21, following Dior’s sudden death. His 1958 debut — the Trapeze Line — was a triumph. But Saint Laurent’s true revolution came not in haute couture, but in his 1966 ready-to-wear line: Rive Gauche.

Rive Gauche democratised luxury. It was luxury for the Left Bank intellectual, the working woman, the student who wanted to dress with intention. Saint Laurent understood, intuitively and decades before it became a cultural conversation, that women dressed for themselves — not for men, not for society. He gave them the clothes to do exactly that.

Saint Laurent Today: Anthony Vaccarello’s Precision

Since Anthony Vaccarello took over as Creative Director in 2016, Saint Laurent has entered a period of focused, laser-sharp identity. Where other houses have chased cultural relevance through irony or spectacle, Vaccarello has done something more difficult: he has deepened the house’s existing language.

His Saint Laurent is darker, more confrontational, and more erotic than ever. Ultra-high-platform boots, sheer blouses under structured blazers, wide-shouldered power suits — Vaccarello consistently returns to question of what “dressed for power” means, and each season finds a more nuanced answer. Under his direction, the house has also built an extraordinary commercial juggernaut: Saint Laurent is now among the fastest-growing luxury houses in the world, with revenues surpassing €3 billion annually.

Saint Laurent’s Iconic Collections: Complete Buyer’s Guide

Collection / Piece	Description	Price From	Best For
Le Smoking Suit	The original power-dressing masterpiece, updated each season	€2,800	Investment dressing, collectors
Kate Bag	Structured satin evening bag with tassel; timeless evening classic	€890	Evening wear, occasion dressing
Loulou Bag	Quilted chevron-leather, chain strap — relaxed YSL elegance	€1,290	Everyday luxury, investment bags
Opyum Heels	YSL-logo stiletto heel, patent leather; the ultimate power shoe	€795	Statement dressers, power wardrobe
Cassandre Wallet	Grain de poudre leather, embossed YSL monogram — the entry piece	€350	First YSL purchase, gifting
Black Opium Fragrance	Coffee-spiked floral. Edgy, seductive, contemporary bestseller	€85	Fragrance entry, gifting

Saint Laurent vs. The Competition

Brand	Founded	Aesthetic	Entry Price	Known For
Saint Laurent ⭐ Recommended	1961	Power / Rock Chic	€350	Le Smoking, Loulou, Black Opium
Celine	1945	Intellectual Minimalism	€400	Triomphe Bag, Logo Belt
Givenchy	1952	Parisian Elegance	€380	Antigona, G-Tote, Voyou
Valentino	1960	Romantic / Couture	€420	Garavani Stud, Locò Bag

The Black Opium Universe: Saint Laurent in a Bottle

If Le Smoking is Saint Laurent in fabric, Black Opium is the house in scent. Launched in 2014, the fragrance distils the essence of the contemporary YSL woman — ambitious, nocturnal, slightly dangerous — into a dark-glass flacon topped with a glitter-encrusted cap. The opening of coffee absolute, white flowers, and vanilla creates an immediate, memorable identity: this is not a fragrance you forget.

• Black Opium Original — The classic. Coffee, white flowers, vanilla. Night-blooming and unforgettable.
• Black Opium Intense — Deeper, darker. Anise and liquorice notes amplify the nocturnal character.
• Black Opium Over Red — A fruitier interpretation, leading with raspberry and blackcurrant over the signature coffee base.
• Libre (2019) — A different proposition: orange blossom, lavender, and musk. Freer, more androgynous — and arguably the best fragrance Saint Laurent has released in a decade.

Is Saint Laurent Worth the Investment?

✅ Buy Saint Laurent If You…

• Want fashion that communicates authority and intelligence simultaneously
• Are building a wardrobe of investment pieces with genuine resale value
• Love the intersection of feminism and luxury — fashion as political act
• Seek a heritage house that remains culturally relevant without chasing trends

❌ Consider Alternatives If You…

• Prefer colour and maximalism (consider Gucci, Valentino, or Versace)
• Are primarily a daywear shopper — YSL is strongest in eveningwear and suiting
• Want the absolute lowest entry price — Cassandre starts at €350, but the true YSL experience begins much higher

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Verdict: The House That Empowered Women to Dress for Themselves

Saint Laurent is, in the deepest sense, a house built on a single idea: that clothing can be an act of liberation. From the first Le Smoking suit in 1966 to Vaccarello’s relentlessly modern power dressing, every Saint Laurent collection asks the same question — What does it mean for a woman to dress with authority? — and then answers it with extraordinary precision. To invest in Saint Laurent is not merely to buy a garment. It is to buy into an argument about what women deserve to wear.

Our rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4.9/5) — Unreservedly our top recommendation in luxury fashion for power dressing.