Yves Saint Laurent Spring/Summer 2011

There’s no doubt Stefano Pilati saw the Saint Laurent moment coming the minute the doors to the retrospective opened in March. No matter the lag time, it couldn’t have been easy working behind the door initialed YSL at the height of a tribute season, and scheduled to show at the tail end of it, no less. Pilati’s spring collection could have withered under the weight of obligation, had he not shrewdly checked his Saint Laurent homages — they were many — against a spare point of view, in accordance with the season’s other major motif. It was a stellar combination.

The jumpsuits, the gypsy dresses, the classic suits were all there and, right along with them, the chic bourgeois image on which Saint Laurent made his name. But Pilati worked each reverential nod discreetly with trim, polished lines that veered toward minimal. Jumpsuits cut a slim, long line, with plunging V-necks, cutout shoulders and open backs that injected the look with strong sensuality.

Lantern-sleeve blouses were worn with A-line skirts; white suits were clean and graphic with shiny black trim and a patch pocket positioned at the top of a skirt’s slit. Softness came by way of peasant dresses in printed silks and thick cotton, cinched at the waist with contrast ruffles across the neck and hemline. It was styled to perfection with red lips, bleached brows and hair slicked into braided updos that showed off bows tied at the neck.

The details were impeccable, but Pilati’s biggest feat was making heritage look modern.