Now that New York Fashion Week is wrapping up, it's always interesting to see what industry heavies have to say about the state of things. One person whose opinion we pay close attention to? Stefano Pilati, Creative Director of Yves Saint Laurent — the same man who makes Drake's night clothes, if we're going to go by what he raps in "Say What's Real."
Here are some of our favorite quotes.
On elegance.
"My idea of elegance – and this refers to women as well as men – is that someone is elegant when he or she shows a good knowledge of what fits them, where you can find naturalness and self-esteem. Not showing off. Elegance is the idea of showing an optimistic depiction of oneself, and to lose oneself in the frivolity of style and fashion."
On the state of fashion:
"Fashion is not fashion anymore. I am sure of this, but nobody realises this because the world is full of romantics like me — people who continue to believe in it... A while ago, things were more elitist, and this allowed it to be more aspirational and directional, and this would inspire others. It might have even — to use a horrible term — “taught” others. Nowadays, what can you teach? I might make a collection in flannel, and then the next guy makes a collection using technical see-through nets. If somebody doesn’t know much about fashion, what can he draw from this? What can he learn? It makes no sense! He can’t use fashion as a road map, he’s lost. Nowadays, it’s all business."
On fashion's relationship with streetwear:
"The real question is: What can you take out of streetwear? Girls are all wearing miniskirts and leggings and leather jackets. We’ve already seen all of this. Streetwear never taught me anything. Consider this: Yves Saint Laurent was one of the first designers to revisit vintage. If you read his biography, you’ll see it. He used to go to London to the first secondhand markets and find clothes from the 30s. That’s how he invented the tuxedo. He bought a man’s smoking jacket and put it on one of his muses. That’s how most of his innovations began."
On his social life and fame.
"You go to these things because they ask you to, because you have to — it’s part of the job. I don’t have a great relationship with high society and social types. But I love this experience, and I love my job. I’m more grateful for the lifestyle this job has bought me than for the fame or the recognition. If I walk the streets and somebody recognises me and asks for my autograph... well, it stuns me."
Check out the rest of the interview at Vice. [Vice]
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