Stefano Pilati's failure to appear at last night's Metropolitan Opera Gala, Yves Saint Laurent's biggest event of the year stateside, raised a few eyebrows, The Daily reports. For the last two years running, Pilati has showed at the event, usually with Anna Wintour by his side, but last night neither appeared.
Apparently during Paris Fashion Week, talk turned to Pilati's sales performance at the brand: top retailers reported that Yves Saint Laurent's accessories sell well (Pilati has a foundation in shoes and bags) but the ready-to-wear fails to resonate with customers. Rumors that PPR is searching for a new creative director at the brand ensued.
Chloe Sevigny, for one, who attended last night in a YSL jumpsuit, was outspoken about her disappointment in Pilati's absence. “I came to hang out with Stefano and now he’s not here so I’m kind of disappointed,” she told WWD. The brand's spokeswoman denied any rift between Pilati and the label and explained: "He was busy with current work on the collection as well as the advertising campaign."
Valerie Hermann, CEO of Saint Laurent in the US, also addressed the matter during her speech last night at the event: "Stefano Pilati, YSL’s creative director, has asked me to convey how sorry he is not to be able to join us tonight, and sends his very best wishes from Paris, where he is busy with the coming collection. Somebody still has to work in this company.”
The brand's reps say Pilati will be in New York for the Costume Institute Gala on May 3 and will also show the YSL Cruise 2011 collection in Manhattan.
fashionologie