A model presents a creation by Italian designer Stephano Pilati for Yves Saint Laurent's spring summer 2010 ready-to-wear fashion collection presented in Paris, Monday Oct. 5, 2009 in Paris.( AP Photo/Jacques Brinon)
(AP)
Yves Saint Laurent designer Stefano Pilati continued turning out sober, minimalist clothing with a subversive twist at the French fashion house's spring-summer 2010 ready-to-wear show on Monday.
Pilati, an Italian whose impeccable tailoring has won him critical acclaim and a devoted customer base at the storied Paris label, built on previous collections of clean-lined, mainly black-and-white pieces, delivering a collection dominated by puffed-sleeved poplin blouses, neat A-line skirts, cropped jackets and lots of leather.
But, as always, Pilati went beyond the sort of workaday basics that can be seen on other runways, embellishing the garments with kicky touches — like a horizontal slit on the hemline of a pair of razor-cut shorts or two little bows on the back of a vampy bustier dress — that set his collections apart.
The collection notes mentioned the value of work, and there was a vaguely Puritanical feeling to the show. Perhaps it was the apron dresses, the high collars, the full sleeves or all that starched poplin.
One look — an oversized Puritan collared shirt paired, oddly, with a pair of leather short shorts — was 17th century Plymouth Colony on top and 1950s-era Vegas showgirl on the bottom. But that and an ankle-length white skirt dotted with oversized strawberry appliques that evoked Strawberry Shortcake were the sole eyebrow-raisers in the very strong show.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
