Article courtesy of the Associated Press.
From the spectacular steel structure arching over the catwalk to the grid bootees on models’ feet, Italian designer Stefano Pilati had geometry on the mind in his ready-to-wear collection for French label Yves Saint Laurent on Thursday.
The metallic tunnel mirrored the steel vaults of the Petit Palais building, where the display was held in front of guests including Claudia Schiffer, Naomi Campbell and Stephanie Seymour, who staged an impromptu reunion of 1990’s supermodels in the front row.
In a season when many designers have looked to exotic cultures for inspiration, Pilati opted for elegant Oriental touches like kimono sleeves and muted silks woven with a drop pattern. Slim gray tailored wool jackets sprouted extra pleats of fabrics behind the shoulder.
The designer has long been a fan of incongruous trouser shapes, and he gave free rein to his obsession with a variety of dhoti pants that swaddled the legs in fabric to the knee.
Pilati also adopted the sheer fabrics that have featured in the spring-summer collections from New York to Milan. But a green lurex organza blouse that revealed a black brassiere was a pale echo of the transparent blouses infamously launched by Saint Laurent himself in 1971.
In recent years, Pilati has emerged as one of the most influential designers of his generation. The flip side of this is that he is now expected to lead the fashion pack, rather than follow.
All images courtesy of the Fashion Spot forums.
