Outside YSL at the Palais de Tokyo

I’ve long been a fan of Yves Saint Laurent.  The designer himself set fashion precedents, innovated designs like Le Smoking and the trapeze dress, and solidified Paris’s position as the fashion capital of the world.  He was a prêt-à-porter pioneer whose Rive Gauche label made exceptional design available to those who could not afford Haute Couture.  His work was progressive, chic, inspired.

Unfortunately, I can’t say the same about this YSL Spring 2010 collection by Stefano Pilati.  I really admire Stefano — I like his focus on the purity of design and how he uses iconic pieces from original YSL collections to inform his own work.  I have a lot of his YSL designs in my wardrobe, including the coat I wore that night to the show.  But after seeing the exhilarating work at Givenchy, the technical splendor of Giambattista Valli and the quintessence of chic at Lanvin, this YSL collection seemed very…lackluster.

I’ve picked some looks that I liked above.  There were some nice pieces for the working woman — modest, chic pencil skirts and sheath dresses — but overall it lacked the spark and cohesion that make a show really memorable.

Claudia Schiffer

The crowd, however, was another story.  YSL had one of the most star-studded shows I’ve been to all week.  The press went wild over Prince and campaign star Claudia Schiffer.  Yasmin LeBon was there, the incredibly chic couple Justin Portman and Natalia Vodianova, Betty Catroux and Loulou de la Falaise, Jade Jagger of my Mother-Daughter Inherited Beauty Chic List, and pop star Katy Perry.

Prince; Yasmin LeBon

Justin Portman and Natalia Vodianova

Betty Catroux and Loulou de la Falaise

Jade Jagger

Katy Perry

Backstage I greeted François-Henri Pinault, head of the luxury behemoth PPR.  It was very exciting to finally meet him.  He oversees some of my favorite labels like Bottega Veneta, Alexander McQueen and Boucheron, among others.  I’m only sorry I didn’t get to meet his wife, actress Salma Hayek.  Although I usually see her in Bottega Veneta and not YSL.

Backstage, meeting François-Henri Pinault, CEO of PPR

I said hello to Laura Lendrum, President of YSL USA, who I’ve known for several years.  I also ran into Mimma Viglezio, Director of Communications for PPR, who I met this summer at the FT Business of Luxury Summit in Monaco.

With Laura Lendrum, President of YSL USA

runway images via style.com; candid photos by Marie Goujon