YSL, 2011

Rumors, rumors. Hintmag.com has speculated Stefano Pilati will make his way to Armani upon the legend’s retirement. Who’s to say whether this is accurate or valid, but, when looking at Pialti’s Spring 2011 menswear collection that seemed to interpret St. Laurent’s Moroccan fascinations as a palette of beige and greige and into modern, sleek, and global silhouettes with just a hint of retro flair – you can’t say it’s a bad idea.

Mondrian, 1991

Italian couturier, Francesso Maria Bandini, piggybacks YSL and takes Mondrian’s modernist masterpiece into the 3rd dimension.

YSL Rive Gauche, 1990

A hopeless romantic one could say, St. Laurent flirts with bad taste and ostentation at its last appropriate iteration, just before the new era.

YSL Spring 2010

Stefano Pilati put out an enigmatic collection for Spring 2010, though it wouldn’t be the first time. It’s often the rule rather than the exception that his collections’ messages fall on deaf ears only to end up ringing within a few seasons.

What do you all think?

 

Per Spook, 1980

Per Spook 1980 Advertisement Campaign

Former YSL designer and director for Louis Feraud, Per Spook was a Norwegian born, French trained designer who upon going out on his own opted for Haute Couture, keeping 3 ateliers for dresses, tailoring, and “fantasy”.

His graphic humor and bold use of color exemplified the easy side of Paris fashion during the late 70’s and early 80’s purveying a spirit of fun and optimism with his peer Jean Charles De Castelbajac.

The current issue of Encens has a rather insightful and enjoyable interview with the designer.

Paloma Picasso by Paloma Picasso

Nepotism at its best, Paloma Picasso’s celebrity is in fact well deserved. It may have been her father’s role as the patriarch of modernist art that brought her into the established circles but it was her own charm and elegance that made her a brand of her own right. This is the kind of woman so delicate in taste and etiquette that when she was married she wore an YSL suit by day and a Karl Lagerfeld dress at night as to not offend the sensitive egos of her two good friends and rivaling designers. She even put out her own fragrance. This is what perfume critic Tania Sanchez has to say about it:

Though the herbal-jasmine-spice-oakmoss structure of Paloma Picasso (1984) is derived from previous sleek, green, serious chypre fragrances like Cabochard and Givenchy III, part of its considerable appeal is that is smells wonderful while still smelling confidently cheap – there’s no effort to throw in an extra pound of butter or more egg yolks in the cake. Instead, it gives an overall impression of one smart gal – comfortable, breezy, sharp, and fizzy in the jasmine section, and terrifically mossy-patchouli in the drydown, put together perfectly without making much fuss.

– From Perfumes: The Guide by Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez
they gave the scent 4 out of 5 stars