Amid glass and steel—within the walls of van der Rohe’s final Modernist masterpiece—Anthony Vaccarello presented Saint Laurent’s Men’s Summer 2024 show. Berlin’s Neue Nationalgalerie set the stage for a two-pronged collection, demonstrating the tension between what Vogue called tailleur and flou: classic suiting, versus “that light-as-air, fluid, sensual soft dressing” that fits right in in a queer city like Berlin.

Against Saint Laurent’s history, it’s a tried-and-true method: allowing for exchange between the masculine and feminine; pulling from last season’s womenswear for this season’s menswear, and again and again from there. The tailoring started out traditional—pleated-front tuxedo shirts, bow ties, starched collars. Then the necklines scooped lower, down to mid-chest; cotton was traded for satin and mousseline; patterns were introduced—polka dots, pinstripes, leopard; and the draping loosened up, skimming the body or trailing behind the wearer.

The intention was clear: to reimagine the house’s classics, without losing track of its commanding visual language. And, stated Vaccarello post-show, to “put [menswear] at the same level as the women’s.” The Saint Laurent man—as a cohesive concept—is today “more edited,” the creative director concluded. “There’s one message. I don’t like to give a bit of everything. When you leave the show, you have a clear silhouette in your mind.”