Stefano Pilati - Designer

[Lola701]

I think people who never had the grand success people think they deserved always generate some kind of sympathy towards them. And in some ways, we often, in a superficial way, depict them as those saviors of fashion who didn’t sold their soul for success but I never think that it’s that simple.

Career choices, attitudes, behaviors, connections…Everything counts.

None of those acts are going to be as good as they were. Thyeskens is past his prime the same way that Ghesquiere or Prada are. The fact that he never got the career he deserved won’t change it.

I loved Miguel Adrover, Rodolfo Pagliangula and others. Even today, they wouldn’t be at their prime.

Stefano Pilati had a difficult exit from YSL but thankfully for him, he managed to stay on the scene to stay part of a conversation. The nostalgia or over praise considering is work is way more overrated than his contribution to fashion but it allowed him to have his name being relevant in the fashion conversation today. The question in fashion (for me) is never if it’s good or not but rather if it’s relevant.

We have come to appreciate what we hated. So the good or not is not relevant compared to the « right ».

Olivier’s body of work got him to design staged costumes for Mylène Farmer. Olivier never designed for the working woman. Stefano got to design a collection for Zara. In terms of exposure or money, those are miles apart but it allows them to work.

Sometimes my comments makes it feel like I’m against nostalgia. I’m not against it. However I don’t like when it’s in the conversation of fashion for today in driving fashion forward.

Olivier Thyeskens for an ambitious relaunch of Vionnet à la Schiaparelli or even better, driving his own brand forward is relevant. To imagine him at the helm of a multimillion or billion house is just science fiction. You don’t hire Olivier to design bags and pants for women to work.

There aren’t a lot of executives who like Della Valle are ready to lose money for a decade just because they have a beautiful brand in their portfolio…

 

[Lola701]

I like Stefano but I would rather have him at the helm of Zegna and have Lutz at a brand like Lanvin. Stefano is maybe too serious as a designer…

 

[yslforever]

I have posted this custom look because it's actually one I would totally wear, Pilati's menswear always stood on their own two feet, a hint of Lanvin by Lucas, an hint of old-school Armani, some flair, some ease, for grown-ups and not teens (see you Hedi).
I could still be one of his customers.

 

[Creative]

I’d love to see Theyskens somewhere. His level of poetry and attention to detail are heavily missed. He was a master of color. I don’t care if they don’t sell, I need someone financing him like they are doing with s!lly Schiap🫣 just some beauty for my eyes, please. It’s hard to see beautiful things in fashion these days.

 

[Squizree]

Theyskens BELONGS at LaCroix. He's the best fit imo

 

[tricotineacetat]

I think people who never had the grand success people think they deserved always generate some kind of sympathy towards them. And in some ways, we often, in a superficial way, depict them as those saviors of fashion who didn’t sold their soul for success but I never think that it’s that simple.

Career choices, attitudes, behaviors, connections…Everything counts.

None of those acts are going to be as good as they were. Thyeskens is past his prime the same way that Ghesquiere or Prada are. The fact that he never got the career he deserved won’t change it.

I loved Miguel Adrover, Rodolfo Pagliangula and others. Even today, they wouldn’t be at their prime.

Stefano Pilati had a difficult exit from YSL but thankfully for him, he managed to stay on the scene to stay part of a conversation. The nostalgia or over praise considering is work is way more overrated than his contribution to fashion but it allowed him to have his name being relevant in the fashion conversation today. The question in fashion (for me) is never if it’s good or not but rather if it’s relevant.

We have come to appreciate what we hated. So the good or not is not relevant compared to the « right ».

Olivier’s body of work got him to design staged costumes for Mylène Farmer. Olivier never designed for the working woman. Stefano got to design a collection for Zara. In terms of exposure or money, those are miles apart but it allows them to work.

Sometimes my comments makes it feel like I’m against nostalgia. I’m not against it. However I don’t like when it’s in the conversation of fashion for today in driving fashion forward.

Olivier Thyeskens for an ambitious relaunch of Vionnet à la Schiaparelli or even better, driving his own brand forward is relevant. To imagine him at the helm of a multimillion or billion house is just science fiction. You don’t hire Olivier to design bags and pants for women to work.

There aren’t a lot of executives who like Della Valle are ready to lose money for a decade just because they have a beautiful brand in their portfolio…

I’m hearing quite often here among your and other fellow tFSers the terms 'part of the fashion scene/conversation' but did it occur to anyone how a whole generation of designers, mainly the Japanese and the Belgians, built their own brands without playing along dictate of corporate fashion, defying the need of advertisement, dressing celebrities or receiving endorsement from major publications?

While Olivier was for time very much a darling to the industry and yes, has since become more of a niche creative, he has much like Chalayan or Viktor & Rolf, absolutely created a body-of-work that is relevant in the history of contemporary fashion - collections that deserve preservation and remain meaningful even past his active time in the limelight - I’m not sure how much of that accounts to to the later generations who may have enjoyed much bigger commercial success (arguably more difficult to replicate when a designer does not have the support of a major conglomerate) but have remained for the entirety of their careers designing for houses with an already established authority - Think of Blazy and Lee’s Bottega Veneta, Pilati’s YSL, or Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli’s Valentino).

That being said - Chances are small for a shoe or handbag to reach an iconic recognizability and desirability beyond the reach of designer ready-to-wear when there are no resources to build the necessary marketing and retail visibility - Especially at a time when independent retail has significantly decreased, compared to previous decades.

 

[Lola701]

I’m hearing quite often here among your and other fellow tFSers the terms 'part of the fashion scene/conversation' but did it occur to anyone how a whole generation of designers, mainly the Japanese and the Belgians, built their own brands without playing along dictate of corporate fashion, defying the need of advertisement, dressing celebrities or receiving endorsement from major publications?

While Olivier was for time very much a darling to the industry and yes, has since become more of a niche creative, he has much like Chalayan or Viktor & Rolf, absolutely created a body-of-work that is relevant in the history of contemporary fashion - collections that deserve preservation and remain meaningful even past his active time in the limelight - I’m not sure how much of that accounts to to the later generations who may have enjoyed much bigger commercial success (arguably more difficult to replicate when a designer does not have the support of a major conglomerate) but have remained for the entirety of their careers designing for houses with an already established authority - Think of Blazy and Lee’s Bottega Veneta, Pilati’s YSL, or Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli’s Valentino).

That being said - Chances are small for a shoe or handbag to reach an iconic recognizability and desirability beyond the reach of designer ready-to-wear when there are no resources to build the necessary marketing and retail visibility - Especially at a time when independent retail has significantly decreased, compared to previous decades.

But that generation of designers dismissed the concept of being CD at fashion houses that weren’t their own…
That allows them to be always slightly « à la Marge », to be fully immersed in the system without feeling the weight of it and to do fashion in their own terms without having to be part of the « fashion conversation ».

The moment you suggest Olivier T. at the helm of another fashion brand, it implies that he has to be part of the fashion conversation because suddenly, the question of relevance, zeitgeist instead of individuality comes into play… Even more when it’s a « comeback ».
It becomes even more of a question because Olivier is not your everyday kind of designer like Dries, Margiela, Walter and others were. He is famous for making clothes for special moments of a woman’s life…He has always had a strong Redcarpet coverage compared to any other Belgian designer.

Margiela is maybe an exception with RAF because they did it while being at the helm of their brand. It created a different narrative.

The example of Chalayan is telling. Never been a fan personally but he tried to make a return with Vionnet and it flopped. Because suddenly, the conversation wasn’t about him but a brand.

That’s why I’m very much of champion of Olivier doing his own stuff. He will have much more impact there and maybe his fans should support more of what he is doing there instead of trying to include him in a fashion conversation where he his contribution would be questioned.

 

[tourbillions]

Sadly he is so niche that a conversation about him has to happen in pilati's thread rather than his so-called fans bumping his thread.

I still see him as a couturier than rtw designer. That for me is where he shines and unfortunately couture is a difficult niche to break through. With all that money that goes into buying a couture piece, it is a bit difficult to justify spending on an independent house. The customers wither have too much money that they only want from dior/chanel or they have saved all their life for a special moment where they probably would prefer to have the whole chanel couture experience with their matching flap.

 

[Kanzai]

I really don't see much of a connection between Christian Lacroix and Olivier Theyskens, they’re like night and day, he's more like Yohji. The idea of Olivier ever going there just doesn’t track, especially when his own namesake label is still there...

Now, whether he’s still relevant, capable of generating buzz, or even worthy of being part of the conversation - that’s another story. It depends on whether we’re talking about ‘conversation on tFS’ or ‘conversation on social media’. In the first case, absolutely yes. If he returns with a collection under his own label, he’ll certainly be welcomed, he remains a highly respected and dearly missed designer within the industry, and definitely among us here. But will he draw bigger attention on social media or newcomers? I doubt it, at least not under his own label. We've already seen how Pilati - someone arguably more hyped and with a more prominent legacy thanks to his tenure at YSL - hasn't been able to push Random Identities into any real commercial spotlight, despite the nonstop name-dropping by the new generation in these musical chairs.

In Olivier’s case, it’s even trickier. He doesn’t command the same kind of zeitgeist nostalgia as Margiela, Lacroix, or Helmut. To compare - take Ghesquière, who is undeniably one of the most influential designers of the 2000s, far more than Theyskens. And yet, even he doesn’t seem to receive overwhelming praise or obsession for his work at Louis Vuitton today. His Balenciaga era is appreciated on vintage markets, yes, but not in the frenzied way people still talk about Ford’s Gucci, for example.

So while I personally wouldn’t want to see Theyskens anywhere but at his own label, I also have to accept the reality that a major comeback under his namesake label is unlikely to translate into massive success. And let’s not hide behind the idea of it being ‘niche approaching’, that’s not a valid excuse anymore.

 

[Kanzai]

Pilati, to me, is a very clear example of a designer’s designer, a designer we didn’t know we needed. Haider adores him a lot, and so do Phoebe and Nicolas Ghesquiere — and that already says enough. I think he’s easily perceived as boring by people who are into frivolous couture or theatrical fashion, which is fair I guess. His biggest inspiration is Armani, so yeah, if that’s not your thing then…well, fck you (I’m kidding).

He’s also said Rei Kawakubo is his all-time favorite designer, and what’s interesting is that he never tried to copy her visually. I mean, that’s probably the most correct way of idolizing someone. He clearly understands that referencing CdG in a literal way just means you don’t really get the brand (Rei once said in an interview with Sarah Mower that these days, making clothes from zero is basically a thing of the past)

Issue 72: Rei Kawakubo On The Radical Freedom Of Comme Des Garçons

When 10 asked me to interview Rei Kawakubo via email, three thoughts shot through my head in quick succession: 1. I’d love that! 2. But I don’t know what to ask! and 3. She’ll never answer!

10magazine.com

I really hope he comes back. I honestly miss designers like him — cerebral, subtly radical and moreover, he has a good sense of humor. He also has a good taste of streetwear and knowledge of black’s subcultures.

Love this tribute. I didn’t read it completely months ago lol.

 

[Caffeine]

I miss him a lot. I still have a YSL jacket by him. Love it so much.

Pilati, to me, is a very clear example of a designer’s designer, a designer we didn’t know we needed. Haider adores him a lot, and so do Phoebe and Nicolas Ghesquiere — and that already says enough. I think he’s easily perceived as boring by people who are into frivolous couture or theatrical fashion, which is fair I guess. His biggest inspiration is Armani, so yeah, if that’s not your thing then…well, fck you (I’m kidding).

He’s also said Rei Kawakubo is his all-time favorite designer, and what’s interesting is that he never tried to copy her visually. I mean, that’s probably the most correct way of idolizing someone. He clearly understands that referencing CdG in a literal way just means you don’t really get the brand (Rei once said in an interview with Sarah Mower that these days, making clothes from zero is basically a thing of the past)
View attachment 1447269

Issue 72: Rei Kawakubo On The Radical Freedom Of Comme Des Garçons

When 10 asked me to interview Rei Kawakubo via email, three thoughts shot through my head in quick succession: 1. I’d love that! 2. But I don’t know what to ask! and 3. She’ll never answer!

10magazine.com

I really hope he comes back. I honestly miss designers like him — cerebral, subtly radical and moreover, he has a good sense of humor. He also has a good taste of streetwear and knowledge of black’s subcultures.

Love this tribute. I didn’t read it completely months ago lol.

h

 

[tricotineacetat]

I don't think after YSL and Zegna there was much else left for him to say. His Random Identities brand as well as the Zara collab were not really renewing the spark in his creative vision.

 

[jeanclaude]

Also, those face tattoos...

 

[Phuel]

Stefano was good.

Even when he was starting to veer off his disciplined bespoke and couturier’s track with his final Ermenegildo Zegna days, there still existed a sense of accomplished order in all the 80s costumes for such a proper gentleman’s label. And it still worked. But now, unfortunately he’s relegated himself to the likes of now hacks Miucica, Rei and Marc: Once very good— and in Miuccia’s and Rei's case, once great fashion visionaries, but content now to just hustle subpar merch coasting off the legacy of their untouchable labels. And with Stefano, his currentday efforts with his Random Identities and that minimum effort Zara collab, is exactly where he is now at this point of his creativity. If that’s one's standard for him returning at some label, then one’s going to be very content… As much as I still revere his past work, I’m not romanticizing, and absolutely not idealizing what where his creative headspace will be if installed at any fabled house. People age, people change, and people also unfortunately lose their spark.

(… But damn— he was so stylish, so hot…)


Vogue



ELLE

 

[PDFSD]

Also, those face tattoos...

neck and face tattoos are often sign of I ALONE AM NOT ENOUGH I NEED MORE TO BE OK mental issues i wish him well.

 

[jeanclaude]

neck and face tattoos are often sign of I ALONE AM NOT ENOUGH I NEED MORE TO BE OK mental issues i wish him well.

Maybe he is in need of an anti-depressant...

pinimg.com/

 

[Nimsay]

I remember being on the Eurostar reading Olivier’s feature in some magazine. 20 years later all I can think is that he must be absolutely impossible to work with. Like they could get Galliano and McQueen wrangled - this guy must be absolutely impossible.

I too miss Pilati and think he should do Prada.

 

[tourbillions]

stop posting in this thread and keeping my hopes up that he is finally out of his berghain bender. And ready to do more than streetwear again.

 

[Shah321]

I love him

 

[tricotineacetat]

Stefano was good.

Even when he was starting to veer off his disciplined bespoke and couturier’s track with his final Ermenegildo Zegna days, there still existed a sense of accomplished order in all the 80s costumes for such a proper gentleman’s label. And it still worked. But now, unfortunately he’s relegated himself to the likes of now hacks Miucica, Rei and Marc: Once very good— and in Miuccia’s and Rei's case, once great fashion visionaries, but content now to just hustle subpar merch coasting off the legacy of their untouchable labels. And with Stefano, his currentday efforts with his Random Identities and that minimum effort Zara collab, is exactly where he is now at this point of his creativity. If that’s one's standard for him returning at some label, then one’s going to be very content… As much as I still revere his past work, I’m not romanticizing, and absolutely not idealizing what where his creative headspace will be if installed at any fabled house. People age, people change, and people also unfortunately lose their spark.

(… But damn— he was so stylish, so hot…)

View attachment 1447494
Vogue


View attachment 1447495
ELLE

His brief stint with Zegna provided him the platform to put out his most accomplished vision of sartorial menswear out there - Do we know why they gave him the boot so quickly? The clothes were good but I don't think the runway collection was widely-enough distributed to really impact Zegna's business at large. A pity it did not last - What he did there was a great balance between 'men's fashion' and classical, sartorial menswear.

I would see Stefano a lot in the Berlin nightlife, dressed up a bit too much in his Tabis and his Rick Owens clothes at places that were very much underground. He simply felt out of place in the seediest venues, hanging around with the GmbH boys. It didn't inform his approach to design in the right way, as we got to see.