Italian designer Stefano Pilati earned a standing ovation on Monday night as he sent out his swansong collection for Yves Saint Laurent before a star-studded gathering at Paris Fashion Week.
French actresses Catherine Deneuve and Isabelle Huppert were joined front row by the US pop star Katy Perry — sporting bright blue hair — the soul singer Alicia Keys and the actress Rosario Dawson, in cheering the collection.
Pilati's final autumn-winter look for YSL, which announced his departure last week, played heavily on blacks, with strong-shouldered jackets, pants with leather highlights, and bare-backed dresses in a fine metallic chain-mail.
The first model arrived in a leather-lined black coat, above short pants and dizzying heels. Followed by a black bolero over high-waisted pants. Several leather tunics, in strong green or red, had a touch of mink at the shoulder.
Shoulders stood out on trouser suits with a bowed flower motif, in white or violet on black.
Chain mail dresses were cut on the knee, sleeveless in silvery pink with green collar and hem, or entirely green with simple straps crossed at the back.
With slicked chignons and deep red gloss lipstick, other models stepped out in metallic dresses with deep plunging V-necks, one pink with violet edging, and short sleeves.
Long gowns in black or white were slit high on the leg, at the back or side, or at the front up to the knee.
Dressed in a light-coloured suit, the designer gave a brief bow at show's end, raising one hand in a "V" for victory, signing off after an adventure with the house that began in 2004.
Yves Saint Laurent has not yet named his successor, saying it will disclose the name of its new creative director in the coming weeks.
Stella mccartney
Stella McCartney sent models down the runway in sporty but sophisticated schoolgirl outfits, as cutesy collars and flouncy skirts found an anchor in classic English tailoring and rich country tweeds.
She described the collection as English countryside meets "urban energy, colour and shine".
"It was very much the country girl discovering the urban edge," McCartney said backstage, adding that she tried to "mix the two worlds together but in an unexpected way."
Hem-lines were short, torsos were tight, and electric blues and white whites gave a pop to silhouettes that still felt sensible.
Panels of stretchy blue fabric and glossy blacks were sewn together with warm tweeds in a streamlined patchwork to create body contouring, flirty dresses with flouncy hems. The look was sensual, smart and sporty, complete with a peek-a-boo of skin behind the shoulder.
The collection felt fresh and playful, with a nod of irreverence.
Blue and white striped collars, as one might see on a varsity letter jacket, found their way onto boxy coats and a herringbone below-the-knee suit dress.
Pretty little white collars in white organza popped up from necklines, swirling white embroidery adorned crepe bodices and sleeves, and jacquard — which can look overworked and old — felt young in precisely tailored long royal blue blazers.
McCartney is one of the few high-profile designers to refuse to use fur and leather, on moral grounds. In relying instead on crisp fabrics, her clothing escapes much of the heaviness and outrageous excess one sees at winter collections.
