VIDEO: Watch Hedi Slimane’s First Saint Laurent Short Film

Posted by Robin Paulson Categories: Fashion Designers, Models, Videos,

It was only a matter of time before Hedi Slimane put out his first short film for Saint Laurent since having taken over the reigns there. Low and behold, it is here!

Simply titled Dance the black-and-white (no surprise there) short features model Gracie Van Gastel showing off some serious hoop skills set against music from Clementine Creevy of Cherry Glazerr. Watch for yourself and share your thoughts on Slimane's first video for the legendary French fashion house!

Read More | The Cut

Cathy Horyn Continues to Blast Slimane’s Saint Laurent Collections

Posted by Robin Paulson Categories: Fashion Designers, Fashion Shows, News,

The feud between Hedi Slimane and New York Times critic Cathy Horyn continues, as the Saint Laurent fashion designer banned her again from his show in Paris.

Unfortunately for Slimane, the slight downside to an age where a show's images are immediately uploaded onto the internet for all to see is the fact that it helps someone like Horyn to be able to critique the show without having been there.

Horyn began with lambasting Slimane's decision to remove "Yves" from the label's name - something that had previously caused many raised eyebrows in the fashion world: "One of the first things the new designer, Hedi Slimane, did was to remove “Yves” from the label, thereby severing a symbolic connection to the founder, and everything he stood for, like good taste and feminine power."

She then went on to blast the clothes, which she pointed out were disliked by others, too: "Many people said the clothes looked like stuff sold at Topshop or a thrift store, while others defended Mr. Slimane’s approach and identified pieces, like a pink fur chubby, that relate back to Yves’s designs of the late ’60s and early ’70s, when he got ideas — say, for a pea coat — from the street. It’s doubtful that customers will make that connection, but such comments serve to validate what Mr. Slimane has done."

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Read More | NY Times via The Cut

Gaspard Ulliel Cast as Yves Saint Laurent

Posted by Robin Paulson Categories: Celebrities, Fashion Designers, News,

After a "huge audition [process]," French actor Gaspard Ulliel - whom you may recall from Gus Van Sant's heartbreakingly sweet short in Paris, Je T'aime - has been cast as the lead in an upcoming biopic of French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent.

Announced this past year at the Cannes Film Festival, the film - directed by Bertrand Bonello - will go into production this spring. Although there is neither a formal script nor screenplay just yet, the film is expected to focus on the designer's life from the mid-Sixties to about 1976.

Read More | Screen Daily via The Cut

Items Du Jour: Jennifer Aniston Signs a Hair Deal, Blake’s Ring Unveiled

Posted by Robin Paulson Categories: Celebrities, Editorials, Fashion Designers, Hairstyles, Health & Beauty, Models, News,

+ Because fashion and caffeine go hand-in-hand, Rodarte has designed a limited-edition collection of gift cards, mugs, tote bags, and sleeves for Starbucks just in time for the holiday season. The products hit stores on November 13.

+ Alexa Chung spills some details on her upcoming fashion book. Reports have named her upcoming literary venture as a "style bible," but Chung is quick to correct the gossip.

+ Not only is Jennifer Aniston the new face for hair product line Living Proof, but she has also signed on as a co-owner! The fact that the products were partly designed by an MIT professor does sound like it's a safe bet.

+ Plus-size model Robyn Lawley flaunts her curves in a cool editorial for Australian Cosmopolitan.

+ Hedi Slimane takes some time off his designing duties to snap up Anja Rubik for the newly-renamed Saint Laurent Paris' black-and-white editorial.

Click to continue reading Items Du Jour: Jennifer Aniston Signs a Hair Deal, Blake’s Ring Unveiled

Hedi Slimane Returning to YSL Branding

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Fashion Designers, News,

Hedi Slimane is to take Yves Saint Laurent back to its "original branding."

The fashion house's new creative director - who announced yesterday the brand will be renamed Saint Laurent Paris - plans to use the same fonts and similar nomenclature used in the 1960s as part of a bid to push forward while remaining true to the iconic company's heritage.

"This is to restore the house to its truth, purity and essence - and taking it into a new era while respecting the original principles and ideals," a spokesperson added of the return to original branding.

The Yves Saint Laurent name will continue to be used for "institutional" purposes, and the YSL logo will remain the same as its original 1961 version.
The changes have the backing of Yves Saint Laurent's former partner Pierre Bergé, who is pleased that previous creative director Stefano Pilati has been replaced.

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Hedi Slimane to Debut First YSL Collection to Buyers Only

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Fashion Designers, Fashion Shows,

Hedi Slimane will debut his first Yves Saint Laurent collection to buyers only.

The French designer - who was named as the French fashion house's new creative director in March, replacing Stefano Pilati - has invited buyers to see his spring menswear and women's cruise collections in late June/early July. However, the public will have to wait until September for the launch of his womenswear Spring/Summer 2013 range at a catwalk show during Paris Fashion Week.

Paul Deneve, chief executive officers of Yves Saint Laurent, recently said Hedi's appointment is the start of a "promising new chapter" in the history of the company, but Pierre Berge, a former partner of YSL, has warned the designer has his work cut out at the fashion house. "It's a great problem, very complicated, to recreate the work of a genius. Like trying to rewrite Faulkner. To put your stamp on the name of Yves Saint Laurent requires someone who has talent, conviction, rigor, a demanding nature and a great sense of colour," he explained.

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No Regrets for Stefano Pilati

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Fashion Designers, News,

Stefano Pilati has no regrets about leaving Yves Saint Laurent.

The designer - who joined YSL as design director in 2000 after stints at Giorgio Armani, Prada and Miu Miu, and took over from the then-creative director Tom Ford in 2004 - parted ways with the company earlier this month and was replaced by Hedi Slimane but says he is content with how things have worked out.

"I am really good. I am really happy, which is something very unusual for me in a sense that I never believed that it could have been possible to feel happy, at least under these kinds of circumstances. It's pretty beautiful what happened to me. I found myself working and being supported and encouraged by amazing people I always admired and still admire. I found myself at the end of this chapter and don't regret one minute. I find myself with this amazing experience. I want to use it for something that makes me feel that I am part of this moment and that helps me to continue."

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Hedi Slimane’s ‘Tough Job’ at YSL

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Fashion Designers,

Hedi Slimane faces a tough job at Yves Saint Laurent, according to Pierre Berge. The designer was recently named as the French fashion house's new creative director and while Berge - the former partner of Yves Saint Laurent - thinks he's a great choice, he knows he has his work cut out.

"It's a great problem, very complicated, to recreate the work of a genius. Like trying to rewrite Faulkner. To put your stamp on the name of Yves Saint Laurent requires someone who has talent, conviction, rigor, a demanding nature and a great sense of color," he told T Magazine.

But Berge - who has always been a Slimane fan - knows the French-born sartorialist will not disappoint and will cope with the pressure put on him: "He is a man of talent who can preserve the genius and legacy of Yves Saint Laurent."

Paul Deneve, chief executive officers of Yves Saint Laurent, has previously said of Slimane - who used to head up Dior Homme - was the perfect person for the job. "Hedi Slimane's exceptional talent and understanding of the spirit of Yves Saint Laurent heralds a promising new chapter in the story of the maison."

Hedi Slimane to Head YSL

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Fashion Designers, News,

Hedi Slimane is to become the creative director of Yves Saint Laurent.

The designer will assume total responsibility for the French brand's image and all of its collections following the departure of Stefano Pilati from his leadership of the company.

Paul Deneve, chief executive officers of Yves Saint Laurent, said Heidi - who used to head up Dior Homme - was the perfect person for the job: "Hedi Slimane's exceptional talent and understanding of the spirit of Yves Saint Laurent heralds a promising new chapter in the story of the maison."

"As one of the most important French fashion houses, Yves Saint Laurent today possesses formidable potential, which I am confident will be successfully harnessed and revealed through the vision of Hedi Slimane," added Francois Henri Pinault, Chief Executive Officer of parent company PPR.

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Christian Louboutin Respects YSL

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Fashion Designers, News,

Christian Louboutin claims he has "the biggest respect" for Yves Saint Laurent despite recently suing the fashion house. The famous footwear designer -- whose creations are famed for their red soles -- took legal action against YSL for breach of copyright after it brought out shoes featuring red soles, which he said was unacceptable.

"I have the biggest respect for the house of Yves Saint Laurent. Having discussed the matter with them and not been able to reach an agreement, we have had to take this to court. My company has a trademark on the red sole and if we don't enforce it this would leave the door open for other brands to copy us while jeopardizing the identity of the Louboutin red sole. No one before me has ever used a colored sole to define a brand's identity. The red sole has become widely recognized as the distinct sign of my brand in the eyes of women all over the world," Louboutin told ES of his decision.

The suit alleges that YSL copied Christian Louboutin's trademarked red outer sole, which Louboutin registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in 1997. However, it's unclear whether the trademark covers all red-soled shoes.