fashionologie

Fashion Press Won't See Hedi Slimane's First Two YSL Collections

Justin Fenner — Tue, 22 May 2012 12:09:16 PDT

Only buyers are invited to see Hedi Slimane's first two collections for Yves Saint Laurent, meaning virtually no one - including press - will see his women's Resort 2013 and men's Spring 2013 clothing before they go on sale.

A spokeswoman for YSL confirmed the press blackout to WWD on Tuesday, explaining that Slimane wants to make his first major fashion statement for the house when he presents his women's Spring 2013 collection on the runway during Paris Fashion Week. The "transitional" Resort and men's Spring collections will be shown to buyers in late June or early July.

Slimane succeeded Stefano Pilati as creative director of Yves Saint Laurent in March. He had been the head menswear designer at Dior, but left in 2007 to pursue a career in photography. His new position at YSL marks a return to the house where his career started: After graduating from the Ecole du Louvre, Slimane was hired as a marketing assistant for YSL in 1997, then rose through the ranks before becoming designer of YSL Rive Gauche Homme.

Time Names 100 Greatest Fashion Icons

fashionologie — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 12:31:22 PDT

Coco Chanel in 1920

>> Time magazine today released its list of the 100 greatest fashion icons, a collection of designers, brands, models, muses, photographers, editors, and stylists meant to be the definitive guide to the "visionaries that changed how we think about what we wear, and how we wear it."

The list includes all of the expected players - Coco Chanel is there, as are Yves Saint Laurent, Anna Wintour, Naomi Campbell, and Steven Meisel - but there are also a few people most wouldn't think of for a list like this. Sarah Blakely, inventor of Spanx, is included because she "has helped shape the modern woman - literally." Jacques Heim and Louis Réard, the men who simultaneously invented what eventually became the bikini are also on the list.

Time only mentions style influencers who made an impact after 1923 - the beginning of Time magazine - which means the list reaches back to people like '20s icon Zelda Fitzgerald and Chanel rival Elsa Schiaparelli. The list doesn't include any notable retailers (Andrew Saks and Ikram Goldman would have been worthy additions), and it's also not very diverse - of the 100 people on the list, only eight are black and two are Asian.

Still, the list is a testament to how vital the creative forces of the fashion industry are to the world at large. Take a look at the whole thing on Time.

Stefano Pilati Says Being Let Go From Yves Saint Laurent Was "Beautiful"

fashionologie — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 09:07:44 PDT

>> What's next for ousted Yves Saint Laurent designer Stefano Pilati? For the moment, he's not planning to jump back into the fray - or to do anything else for that matter.

Pilati told the audience that assembled to listen to him talk at the French Institute Alliance Française Tuesday night that after decades of being in the fashion industry, he's not exactly chomping at the bit to create more clothes. "I started to work in fashion at a really early age, and somehow leaving Saint Laurent ended a chapter, a career I started almost 30 years ago," he said. "For some reason, I realized I haven't planned any move."

That reason could be a number of things - Pilati ran through his entire history in the fashion business, having worked in retail and as a stylist before hitting it big as a designer for Miu Miu and YSL. Fashion writer Jim Chi quoted Pilati in a tweet as saying that "it's pretty beautiful what's happened to me," referring to being replaced by former Dior Homme designer Hedi Slimane a few weeks ago. "I'm really happy, which is something I never believed I could be under these circumstances," he said. And while Pilati might not be sure what his future circumstances will be, he was more than happy to talk about his past.

On making YSL profitable with the addition of accessories: "I lived the business aspect of fashion since day one . . . It's not something that for me was like, 'What do you mean? I am a creator! Who cares if you can sell it?' No way . . . I put aside my ego, I put aside my freedom, and I worked hard to respond to what the market was asking for . . . You design something and you want every single woman or man to wear it. You know that they're going to pay for it, so you're going to get some money somewhere. Maybe it's my education, but I never thought, 'I hope nobody gets this except for me.'"

On leading YSL after Saint Laurent's death in 2008: "A lot of people started to ask me, 'Do you feel something has changed?' or 'Is it going to change for you now that he's not alive anymore?' At first, I said, 'No, I don't think so, why?' I've always tried to do my best, but in fact it had changed. I could really feel the fact that his physical presence wasn't there anymore. In a way it gave me a sense of freedom."

On how young people should approach working in fashion: "Don't lose your passion, be true to yourself . . . Go to work as soon as you can . . . Do any job in fashion. No matter what. I've been a salesperson in a shop. I've been an assistant, a stylist, done internships . . . I knew that I wanted to work in fashion. That for me was the same thing, to be a fashion designer came up, but you have to try many things."

Pierre Bergé Gives His Blessing to New YSL Designer Hedi Slimane

fashionologie — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 09:57:32 PDT

Yves Saint Laurent at his final couture show in 2002.

>> Pierre Bergé, who lived with Yves Saint Laurent for almost 50 years, says new YSL designer Hedi Slimane is in for an uphill battle - but Bergé believes Slimane is ready for the task.

Bergé told T Magazine that filling Saint Laurent's shoes is "a great problem, very complicated, to recreate the work of a genius. Like trying to rewrite Faulkner," Bergé said. "To put your stamp on the name of Yves Saint Laurent requires someone who has talent, conviction, rigor, a demanding nature and a great sense of color."

And Slimane, who was announced as the successor to former YSL creative director Stefano Pilati earlier this month, has that - or at least Bergé thinks he does. He called Bergé "a man of talent who can preserve the genius and legacy of Yves Saint Laurent."

Bergé is currently in Denver, CO, exhibiting some 200 of Saint Laurent's finest pieces at the Denver Art Museum. The retrospective will only show in Denver and will run through July 8.

Hedi Slimane Hires Old Dior Homme Collaborator For New Job at YSL

fashionologie — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 09:28:13 PDT

>> Hedi Slimane's new job as creative director of Yves Saint Laurent was just announced two weeks ago, and he's wasting no time in assembling his new staff.

>Vogue UK reports that Slimane has hired Laurence Kleinknecht as YSL's worldwide press director. Kleinknecht has managed her public relations company for the last 16 years and served as head of PR for Dior Homme when Slimane was its head designer. She also represented him when he left Dior Homme to focus on photography.

Kleinknecht's website says she currently represents DJ Chloe Thevenin and handbag designer Delphine Delafon.

Hedi Slimane Confirmed as Yves Saint Laurent's New Creative Director (Update)

Christina Perez — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 05:53:51 PST

>> It's official. Yves Saint Laurent has named Hedi Slimane its new creative director, effective immediately. In a statement released earlier today, the company said that Slimane will "assume total creative responsibility" at the house, but will also continue to pursue his career in photography. "Hedi Slimane's exceptional talent and understanding of the spirit of Yves Saint Laurent heralds a promising new chapter in the story of the maison," CEO Paul Deneve said. Slimane's first outing for the label will be the Resort collection, presented in June.

The sentiment was echoed by PPR Chairman and CEO François-Henri Pinault. "As one of the most important French fashion houses, Yves Saint Laurent today possesses formidable potential, which I am confident will be successfully harnessed and revealed through the vision of Hedi Slimane."

Slimane replaces Stefano Pilati, whose contract with the house ended Monday after a successful - if sometimes rocky - eight years.

All the Spring 2012 Ad Campaigns (New - Cynthia Rowley, Theyskens' Theory, Eres)

fashionologie — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 11:11:42 PST

>> Campaign season is here. So far, there have been Spring 2012 ad moments for Gisele Bundchen, Karlie Kloss, Alessandra Ambrosio, Miranda Kerr, Julia Stegner - and more. See those, plus all the Spring 2012 ad campaigns, in the slideshow - with more added as they arrive.

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Yves Saint Laurent Fall 2012

Christina Perez — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 16:36:59 PST

>> If you've got to go, might as well do it with a bang. Or better yet, with an army of sharp-shouldered power women leading the charge.

For his last collection at Yves Saint Laurent, Stefano Pilati did just that. His coats, dresses, tops, and trousers were cut in strongly tailored '80s shapes - broad-topped, angular, and belted. Chainmail dresses, slinky jumpsuits, and asymmetrical furs felt darkly glam in dusky greens and inky blacks; and the house's Le Smoking was re-imagined in sharp swaths of silver or leather. It was tough, chic, and as confident as they come.

Pilati may be out, but he's not looking back.

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YSL Confirms Departure of Stefano Pilati

Christina Perez — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 06:47:54 PST

>> The designer shakeups continue: YSL has announced the departure of creative director Stefano Pilati.

"We are all at Yves Saint Laurent grateful to Stefano for his important achievements in advancing the mission and success of this historic and treasured fashion house," YSL's CEO, Paul Deneve, said in a statement.

Pilati has been head designer at YSL since 2004. His Fall 2012 collection, which will be shown in Paris on March 5, will be his last outing for the label.

Despite Pilati's somewhat turbulent tenure at YSL, the label has shown marked growth under Pilati's leadership, especially in accessories. "Pilati has been instrumental in the rebuilding and repositioning of an iconic French luxury brand. Under Stefano’s guiding vision and artistic direction, the house has become a contemporary reference in high fashion," the statement acknowledged.

YSL has declined to comment on who will replace Pilati at the creative helm. However, several sources this past weekend - including WWD - have reported that former Dior Homme designer, Heidi Slimane, is poised to take over.

"I wish the maison Yves Saint Laurent and its new creative director the very best for the future," Pilati told WWD. “I exit the house with fierce conviction in all that we have achieved and deep gratitude to those who have supported me along the way. "

A Look at the Upcoming Yves Saint Laurent Exhibit

Christina Perez — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 11:52:30 PST

>>This Spring, the Denver Art Museum pays tribute to the legendary designer with Yves Saint Laurent, The Retrospective. Spanning over 40 years, the exhibit offers a complete look at Saint Laurent's career, style, and historical influence - starting with his first collection at Dior in 1958, all the way up to his final runway presentation in 2002. With over 200 haute couture pieces on display - including the very first Le Smoking - as well as photos, drawings, and films, the exhibit also examines YSL's relationship with other artists, his famous patrons - including Princess Grace of Monaco, Nan Kempner, Catherine Deneuve, and Diana Vreeland - and the exotic travels that inspired many of his collections. Click through to preview pieces from the exhibit - which runs from March 25 through July 8 - here.
At left, Yves Saint Laurent in his workshop, 1982. Getty.

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