Yves St. Laurent Catwalk Fashion Show Paris FW2010

The Yves St. Laurent-show started promising with a variation on the Little Black Dress with cape and a black three piece suit. Such a clean and classic look would be just on trend, as more houses are aiming at the new sporty minimalism. And no other house has a history in tailored sportswear and classic Parisian sensibility as the house of Yves St. Laurent.

But somehow designer Stefano Pilati tried too hard to be classic and modern, it needs a creative talent to make conservative sporty chic look dynamic and not dated. The long skirts however looked dull, the white shirts were dowdy and the plastic capes and eveningwear sexless. It looked like the collection was made for a nun instead of a woman of the world. Also because of the caped black forms, the head-coverings, the white cotton and heavy chain pendants.

Stefano Pilati told reporters that the collection was all about protection and that is was partly an homage to YSL and the tailleur. Maybe he should take a look at the retrospective on YSL that soon will open in the Petit Palais in Paris – there’s still a lot to learn from the old master.

Trends ss2010: fashionably exposed

Together with the nudes there’s a a lot of semi-nudity for next summer-season too.

Many designers worked with sheer and airy fabrics. Through these light fabrics the models’ skins were visible most of the time. At Giambattista Valli, YSL, Michael Kors, Sonia Rykiel and House of Holland the models’ breasts could clearly be seen through their designs.

Almost every piece of clothing came by in a transparent version. Roberto Cavalli even designed a few see-through pants. Valentino’s shiny, ruffled and transparent materials were made into super sexy party dresses. And Donnatella Versace created a few sheer evening gowns in pastel shades.

The sheer fabrics were often layered or draped. Viktor & Rolf used multiple transparent layers, becoming non-transparent by this application. Riccardo Tisci beautifully draped his sheer fabrics for Givenchy.

Apart from the delicate ultra-thin fabrics we could see some body-exposing nettings (Jil Sander, Sonia Rykiel, Just Cavalli) as well.

So, for next season don’t be afraid to show some skin. And if you are, just follow the example of Viktor & Rolf and wear lots of layers.

Tess van Daelen

Paris Fashion Week ss2010 Impressions #23

Paris Fashion Week ss2010 Impressions #22

Yves St. Laurent Catwalk Fashion Show ss2010

The YSL collection was about  the urge looking for “a natural and honest chic, an aesthetic paradigm of new minimalism”, according to the program-notes.  That means a stark, monochrome pencil-skirted suit and an austere tuxedo. Or a pair of conceptual lederhosen and a romantic, strawberry-scattered dress. The YSL collection of Stefano Pilati had two sides: seventies peasant-influences and a more modern city-look with linen dresses and belted pantsuits. There were lots of ideas and great looking clothes but it never became cohesive. The consumer probably doesn’t care, as long as she finds wearable clothes. And she will.

Yves St Laurent Catwalk Fashion Show ss2010

The T-shirt – one of the most universal pieces of clothes – was the foundation of Stefano Pilati’s collection for YSL. He tried to mix formal with casual in his own way. Pilati elongated the T into long, djellabalike pieces under tailored jackets, or he wrapped it around the body. Of course he played with proportions and showed exploding volumes. Jackets were cut away, low in front, higher in the back.