Amid the balmy, sunlit oasis of Venice, Italy, Saint Laurent’s creative director, Anthony Vaccarello, hosted an exclusive dinner celebrating the implausible talents of cinematic maestro Catherine Deneuve. The space hinted at Saint Laurents SS23 Mens debut, with an effervescent ring-shaped blueprint and an awe-inspiring ambiance. Providing escapism among the hustle and bustle of the 79th Venice International Film Festival, the dinner catered to the palettes of fashion’s and media’s most notable.

Twenty-two years old and acclimatizing to her newfound global admiration from all corners of the film society, Catherine Deneuve met Yves Saint Laurent for the first time. Soon after, Yves attributed his creative praxis to the hand-crafting of a long white crepe dress with a panel of red embroidery for Deneuve, opening the gate to the start of a long collaboration and an intimate friendship between the two. Fast forward to 2002, at an event to mark the 40th anniversary of Saint Laurent’s career in haute couture, the French film star told him, “My most beautiful love affair is with you.”

In attendance was Catherine Deneuve, Laura Harrier, Sydney Chandler, Danny Ramirez, Jamie Campbell Bower, Anja Rubik, Eva Herzigová, Louis Partridge, Emma Appleton, Anson Boon, Jojo Macari, Tom Sturridge, Jack Dylan Grazer, Theodore Pellerin, Vassili Schneider, Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey, Carla Bruni, Carmen Kassovitz, Emmanuelle Alt, David Cronenberg, Juergen Teller, Dovile Teller, Gaspar Noé, Simone Marchetti, Antoine De Caunes, Francesca Bellettini, Samir Gharroub, Thomas Houseago and Caroline Bourgeois.