Yves Saint Laurent Fall 2009
Yves Saint Laurent Fall 2009

PARIS, Mar 12, 2009 / FW/ — According to Paris fashion lore, Yves Saint Laurent invented the tuxedo for women because he had a woman friend who loved wearing tuxedo but the available ones are all for me. So, as a favor to his friend, Yves Saint Laurent created a “tuxedo” especially for her, and thus, the Victor / Victoria aspect of fashion was born.

Later, the term used was androgyny; sometimes, fashion writers like yours truly call it “mannish clothing” but it still pertains to the same thing. And for Fall 2009, Stefano Pilati, Creative Director of Yves Saint Laurent mined the house’s heritage of mannish clothing for women and came out with a very sleek, clean and chic collection that defined androgyny for the 2010s.

Opening with a double breasted leather coat, the model’s hair in a tight chignon, the tough chick element was immediately placed front and center. Followed by leather jacket and carrot trousers, then a Chino inspired jacket and pin-striped pants, the path to Victor/Victoria was wide open.

Without faltering even for a millisecond, Stefano Pilati kept the theme tight and to the point. The dresses with small waist and deep V necklines made sure that the audience remembers the femme aspect. And in true YSL fashion, the mannish clothing kept on coming in a seamless mix with the feminine silhouettes.

It was perfection with a capital P!

[SARA CONDE]

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Paris Fashion Week Fall 2009