Some award moments are staged. This one was dressed. Anthony Vaccarello arrived at the American Museum of Natural History flanked by Rosé, Anja Rubik, Zoë Kravitz and Hailey Bieber — four of the defining faces of his Saint Laurent decade — every one of them in gold from his Spring 2027 farewell collection, the almost entirely gilded show he staged under the Eiffel Tower before announcing he was stepping down.

Inside, Bieber, Rosé and Kravitz took the stage together to hand him the International Designer of the Year award. “Anthony doesn’t just design clothes; he creates an attitude, a sense of freedom, and confidence that is distinctly his own,” Rosé said. Bieber wore the collection’s brocade-lace long-sleeve skirt set, Rosé an embroidered halter crop top and slit skirt, Kravitz a backless moulded bodysuit look — three different reads on the same golden idea.

The rest of the night belonged to American fashion’s present tense: Rachel Scott’s second Womenswear Designer of the Year win for Diotima, Ralph Lauren’s record-setting Menswear prize, Colleen Allen as Emerging Designer of the Year, Ana Khouri finally winning Accessories after four nominations, plus honorary awards for Peter Marino (Fashion Icon), Tory Burch (Positive Change) and Gap Inc. (Innovation). But the image that will outlive the ceremony is the golden one — a designer walking in with his muses, all wearing his goodbye.

Source: W Magazine, Surface, Style Rave and Vogue coverage, cross-checked November 4. Photo: BFA/Shutterstock via W Magazine.