Life’s a Picnic

A young woman’s gold wedge heel rests atop a picnic table in an archetypal suburban backyard. A gold cuff glistens on the arm of the host as she reaches over plates of grapefruits and fruit tarts to pour a drink. Somewhere in the background, a floral dress floats on a clothesline. In Saint Laurent's latest campaign, titled An Ordinary Day, creative director Anthony Vaccarello and Martin Parr trace the rhythms of domestic relaxation, finding beauty in a backyard tea party.

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In the series the Spring/Summer 2025 collection unfolds not on a runway but across metal patio tables and sun-soaked driveways. The British photographer’s lens, observant and unsentimental, lingers on small, playful intimacies. A leopard-print Le 5 á 7 Bea bag sits open on the grass, revealing the day’s grocery haul. Gold earrings with bezel-set crystals and sculpted rings mingle with toast, teapots, and childhood figurines atop a gingham tablecloth. Stuffed animals wear slingback heels.

The idyllic setting complements Vaccarello’s latest silhouettes. Berry hues and soft lace peek out from beneath hems and drape over model’s knees, while sandals catch the light, their gold arches curved like fruit rinds. A woman with large sunglasses perched on the bridge of her nose sunbathes while men in relaxed wool suits chat nearby. The gathering has all the markings of a long summer day.

In one scene, a Saint Laurent-clad party-goer lifts a camcorder and holds it facing outward. Each image breathes like a still from a half-remembered movie. Vaccarello’s recent turn towards film—working on films like Pedro Almodóvar’s Strange Way of Life (2023) and David Cronenberg’s The Shrouds (2024)—has sharpened his sense of scene. The campaign is not a spectacle, but an invitation. What does style look like when it's lived in? For Saint Laurent, it’s a friendly gesture, a shadow of a bicycle, a dress drying in the sun.