Yves Saint Laurent is one of the most iconic names in our industry & possibly the most consistantly celebrated & influential designer of the past 30 years. He was mentored during his early years by Christian Dior & was the first designer to launch commercial ready-to-wear collections alongside the haute-couture line. This possibly explains why he was more traditional in design than some of his contempories. - Saint Laurent created sharp, strong , masculine lines in his silhouettes, opposing some of the voluminuos approaches his counterparts created throughout the 70’s & 80’s. He died in 2008. AW12 see’s current Creative Director Stefano Pilati release his final collection for YSL.

Following on from previous YSL designers, Tom Ford & Alber Elbaz, Pilati has produced wonderful collections and his final range does not disappoint. Beautifully crafted classic knitwear is complemented with luxurious velvet blazers, slim fitted shirting in muted colours & double breasted outerwear. The theme still has utilitarian references, but is softened with a great jersey programme & slim, but great fitting, denim.The whole collection is an easy wear that includes some classic must-have wardrobe staples. Stefano Pilati, will be missed, but the YSL adventure continues for S/S 13 under the stewardship on Hedi Slimane. Retro branded to SAINT LAURENT PARIS referencing the haute-couture hey-day, Slimane looks to a wholly new silhouette….