Stefano Pilati - Designer

[Lola701]

I used to love Isabel Marant before Alt.. it was so lovely and there was a lightness to it that has, imo, no relation whatsoever to Lemaire. I don’t see Lemaire as 80s/Hans Feuer at all either.. that’s more Samuel Drira’s territory..

Im talking more on the type of women that was wearing the brand. That’s why I use the image of « prof de français de gauche » (left wing French teacher) they have such a distinctive look.
Isabel Marant was either very Rive Gauche or very Montmartre, Batignolles.

When Alt came around it became more bourgeois or at least more 16th arrondissement.

Don’t ask me why but the Hand Feuer thing doesn’t leave my mind lol.

 

[Kanzai]

His Agnona was irrelevant, so irrelevant that after two years they let him go and turnover drop almost 40%.

What you referred to as 'irrelevant' in his Agnona could now be easily seen as 'innovative' in the current state of fashion !

 

[PDFSD]

I know the optics are bit weird when stated like that but I think that today, there’s more and more blur between Luxury brands and some high streets brands. When you look at what Prada can do for their Atelier collection, what Massimo Dutti, Arket, Cos can deliver, it’s almost expected for those brands that are elevating their standards to work with esteemed designers on another capacity.

Zara did a collaboration with Elie Top who used to do Jewelry for YSL and Lanvin under Alber and who has his own Haute Joaillerie collection.

As crazy as it sounds (even for me), I had it in mind…Mostly because he has a good relationship with the Zegna group and he is a fantastic menswear designer.
I hoped that Berlin and the scene he has been around allowed him to infuse more sensuality and an easiness in his womenswear but looking at his Fendi collection, it seems like no!

And then I remember that while he has good relationships with Zegna and Domenico De Sole, he has done that interview years ago when he was feeling himself where he said that Tom wasn’t gifted despite recognizing, when he was fired, that Tom gave him a great confidence by giving him high responsibility at YSL.

Stefano was already at YSL when Jil left. It was Milan, another Tom Ford alumni, who took over when she left the first time.

I must got it confused with his fabric research for jil sander ...i can remember a interview he was talking about working so much on miumiu and also Jil Sander as bertelli asked him ...need to research it again what he actually was saying but i remember him being behind the scenes doing stuff for Jil as well .

 

[MulletProof]

Don’t ask me why but the Hand Feuer thing doesn’t leave my mind lol.

I’ll just pretend I never read this and will carry on with my day so I don’t think about it too long and start seeing it too.

 

[bc collector]

I never quite got the appeal people found in Stefano Pilati’s personal style, that quintessentially Pitti Uomo ‘bad boy in a suit’ look where tattoos clash with a dapper, quintessentially Italian tailoring style always felt quite corny to me

So, and I mean this not in a polemic way, who's stylish for you?

 

[tricotineacetat]

So, and I mean this not in a polemic way, who's stylish for you?

I guess for me a person with great style is less somebody stepping into a room that everybody turns their head around for but more the one that sparks curiosity, the one you want to get to know - Somebody with an off-kilter sense of style that is very personal but also absolutely nonchalant (something that both Christophe Lemaire and Hedi Slimane are often mentioning when interviewed). That‘s why this idea of glorified Parisian style always related to me - from Francoise Hardy to Jane Birkin to her daughter, Charlotte Gainsbourg or even Joana Preiss (although I must say I like less and less seeing them in Nicolas' LV). Sarah Linh Tran looks stunning in the Lemaire clothes she designs. I also think there is something very charming about Chemena Kamali, she looks radiant and the clothes she wears feel like a natural extension to her personality (I thoroughly feel her enthusiasm for Chloe really shines through).

On the men‘s side, I think nobody looks more charming and effortless to me than Christophe Lemaire - He just looks very handsome, attractive and ageless (being in his mid 50ies if I remember correctly!) and I think the quiet sophistication of his style matches his calm and considered personality perfectly. He has a cool taste in music (check out Lemaire‘s music selection on Spotify), I like that. When Helmut Lang used to wear his hair slicked back, he had that slightly sleazy gigolo vibe with equal bits dryness. Last but not least, anybody I could think of who wore Dior Homme before it became a big thing looked absolutely stunning in the clothes!

I am generally less interested in people with a super-daring sense of style which is why in today’s fashion scene, I struggle to find people whose style I find aspirational. But Daphne Guinness, Tilda Swinton and Carla Sozzani I still enjoy seeing, they are grown women who really own what they are wearing!

 

[tricotineacetat]

This excerpt from a Lemaire interview perfectly sums up what I was mentioning about:

 

[Lola701]

I must got it confused with his fabric research for jil sander ...i can remember a interview he was talking about working so much on miumiu and also Jil Sander as bertelli asked him ...need to research it again what he actually was saying but i remember him being behind the scenes doing stuff for Jil as well .

It’s totally possible that he worked on fabric research for Jil Sander for fabric research, when Jil was still around as all those people showed in Milan anyway and as he was still working in Italy. Prada started the acquisition process of Jil Sander around 1999. Stefano only joined YSL in 2000 so it’s totally possible, even prior to the Prada acquisition.

It’s like Azzedine Alaia where Fabio Zambernardi got involved a little bit before the acquisition through Carla Sozzani. They shared accessories even after Prada sold him back his brand.

However, given the type of responsibility Tom gave to Stefano at YSL, I would be surprised if he continued to be involved with JS, even on the back.

 

[tourbillions]

pilati for gucci. thats all.

 

[LadyJunon]

There seems to be a rumour of Pilati going to Tom Ford:

If that's the case, I wouldn't be mad at all. He's one of the few designers working today with the capacity of designing menswear and womenswear with equal skill. One could argue that he's too intellectual in his approach, but I think that could work in today's anti-glamazon era.

 

[Creative]

That could be interesting tbh, although a little bit weird as well. I think Tom Ford needs someone like him to survive. They won’t do with an unknown, sadly.

 

[fenty]

Employ my man, please! enough with the Berlin scene

 

[Lola701]

Lmao, when did I not let him party? Stop being ridiculous

His Agnona was irrelevant, so irrelevant that after two years they let him go and turnover drop almost 40%.

To be fair, his Agnona/Zegna Couture wasn’t really a « real tenure ». It was like Lacroix at Schiaparelli.
It was for pure image, the Zegna Couture was barely produced and distribution for Agnona was barely existant. So no clear vision on how to envision Agnona (which could have been a great brand by now with some real investment).

That could be interesting tbh, although a little bit weird as well. I think Tom Ford needs someone like him to survive. They won’t do with an unknown, sadly.

I wonder how someone with that much ego must feel if he is taking over Tom Ford, once again. Because OK, he had an « Etat de Grace » for 2 years at YSL but for the most part, even if revisionism has elevated him, it feels like « the man in the shadows of Tom ».

If Stefano at Tom Ford means Samuelle Failli or Francesco Russo as footwear designers, I’m all for it.
But really, his Fendi was almost depressing…

 

[tourbillions]

If he stayed and worked on his agnona up to now... it will definitely be one of the hyped "quiet luxury" brands by now. But somehow that wasnt their plan.

I guess his Zegna kind of gave way for that for Zegna. I followed zegna because of his short stint there.

Him at Tom Ford makes sense because of his connections with zegna. Rather see him somewhere bigger though.

 

[eugenius]

His Zegna mens shows didn't pick up much traction here, but I loved them. This is from 10 years ago, and it still holds up. The coats are the star of the show, IMO. Hell, even the eyewear and footwear look good, and Zegna's a brand that I'd never associate w/ stylish sunnies. Handsome cast, too.

 

[GivenchyAddict]

Pilati for TF ? I am in. I know his lens would be perfect anyway and if he is willing to be more around his YSL days (based on his insta feed) then I will be interested to see his womens.

He had amazing campaign, nice shoes and bags during his tenure and he has definitely more charisma than Hawkings.

 

[TomBlanksFullFatMiuMiu]

Pilati for TF ? I am in. I know his lens would be perfect anyway and if he is willing to be more around his YSL days (based on his insta feed) then I will be interested to see his womens.

He had amazing campaign, nice shoes and bags during his tenure and he has definitely more charisma than Hawkings.

and so rare and amusing to see many usual snobbish fashionista fangirling themselves this past couple of days

 

[Phuel]

There seems to be a rumour of Pilati going to Tom Ford:

If that's the case, I wouldn't be mad at all. He's one of the few designers working today with the capacity of designing menswear and womenswear with equal skill. One could argue that he's too intellectual in his approach, but I think that could work in today's anti-glamazon era.

Absolutely. If he’s installed at Tom Ford, just bring back his YSL and Zegna (before the final collections that were train wrecking into his Random days) with a dash of Agnona, for both women and men, and he’ll be fine. No need to showcase his “intellectual” concepts or whatever pretension he feels he needs to display as some desperate compensation for designing overpriced frocks. I’ve accepted long ago just how silly, ridiculous and utterly pointless fashion is in the greater scheme of the toil of life while still adoring it unconditionally. There’s no shame in indulging in all its unapologetic frivolity, while accepting that it’s all just excess. And having the privilege to buy these overpriced frivolities does not bestow a whiff of intelligence onto the wearer. God, just design and produce beautiful frocks in premium materials, with a masterclass construction and an inner luxury. There’s no shame at all in that indulgence. He can tat up his face, dress like a crossdressing elderly clown, and party away his midlife-crisis with children, I don’t care; Just remember your taste level and standard of sophistication when it comes to designing for Tom Ford. It’s been the only label left that I look forward to buying at retail, and hopefully will continue to. But if it’s gone, oh well-- I wouldn’t bat a lash.

(….Is he really that insufferable with his ego??? He’s not even a Great, so the ego is just embarrassing. “Intellectual fashion" is such an oxymoron… and is such major cringe the more I know/learn/experience-- and the older I get, the more I can’t suffer such nonsense. Don't care who you are.)

 

[tourbillions]

Did the tiktok crowd catch on because of his berlin techno grandpa looks?

Anyway i miss his luxurious side. Everything always look like it just came to place. No pretensions, super sexy and luxurious. Much needed at the moment.

 

[90sfan]

Pilati is going to Chanel!!????