YSL never really used this communication medium as fluently as Junya and so I think it comes to a shock to us that this is the path that Pilati has chosen to lead the label into.
Certainly there are some awkward moments but despite that, it's lovely. Bravo Pilati.
Its not neccessarily UGLY (in modern terms) but it's probably seen as "unflattering".
i feel like this is pilati's ACTUAL strong suit. he did this with womenswear when he first started. those skirts and dresses he first created got lambasted -- i know, i lambasted, too -- for not flattering the woman. then, abracadabra, we saw every single mass market retailer furiously copying the look as they found that it's not only fresh and different, but sexy and flattering in ways we never thought of (even versace's doing a version of that skirt STILL).
i hope pilati walks this trend through to its fruition. the advertising campaign will be key. also, whether or not it sets off the dream among the big editors. also, we'll see if he picks up these themes in the womenswear (like prada did back in fall/winter 2007 with her "ugly" collection).
i'm actually interested in which retailers choose to take on the challenge of this avant work. i'm impressed that pilati has chosen to put himself among the more cerebral of designers by playing with silhouette in this way. i daresay that if this were a junya watanabe show or a yohji yamamoto show, the same people who decry it would offer their acclamation....
At Yves Saint Laurent , Stefano Pilati, of Italian origin, questions all the ultra-French house codes — and himself. His idea is to break up the rigid Gallic certainties, however elegant and harmonious, that the brand once stood for.
“I worked so hard on that new short jacket — and on creating fluidity,” the designer said of jackets cut away at an angle at the front and worn with the soft pants that dominated the collection.
The show opened with a movie by the French director Samuel Benchetrit and starring his son Jules, whose husky voice was just breaking into manhood. The young boy attempts to mend a fractured adult relationship while trying on a wardrobe of masculine clothes.
A skewered romance is part of Mr. Pilati’s vision. So jersey tunics flowed over the body, twisting as if in a strong current. Layers of fabric with undefined silhouettes hinted at summer escapism, especially as the footwear was folksy flat sandals encircled with zippers.
It made for clothes that, on the runway, often seemed to be trying much too hard to be different. Yet after the show the clothes came into focus, as the collection was hung on rails and Mr. Pilati led his audience up to touch and feel his innovative fabrics. They are pushing forward the new YSL Homme.