Everybody Loves Stefano

More YSL gorgeousness. Just because.

Well. Looks like I'm not the only YSL-besotted fashionista out there. Cathy Horyn at the New York Times wrote a glowing review of the latest collection, and for those who are curious about the inner life of Stefano Pilati, there's a profile of him in the March issue of American Vogue. The outpouring of love for this collection makes me feel all warm & fuzzy, because I think Mr. Pilati is going to start really getting his due as one of the best things going, and also as an example of someone who knows how to take a classic, iconic house and move it forward without betraying it. (Remember, folks -- Yves Saint Laurent is still alive. He retired from design, but he's still out there watching it. Can you imagine how nervous-making that would be? I wonder if Pilati has a red phone on his desk like the ones you see in the Oval Office in movies -- a direct line for the maestro in case of a fashionuclear emergency.)

A few have asked me where one acquires such magnificent things. Bear in mind, the collection I just showed you was Fall/Winter 2008, which means it won't be in stores for several months. If you're desperate for YSL, you'll have to make due with current & past seasons. (Which shouldn't be too painful.) Check the YSL website to find beautiful things available for purchase, although it's far from a complete line, I'm sure. Saks online seems to only carry accessories; and Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus both carry a limited selection of including this little schmatte:

which is yours for a mere $4100. (Some how I think I'd look happier wearing that garment than the model above does. Seriously, whatever could go wrong while you were wearing that dress? You could threaten me with unanesthetized dental work while I was wearing that and my response would be, "What-ever, tra-la, hand me another glass of champagne, please!")

If you've spotted something in fashion coverage online, can't find it via e-commerce and absolutely can't live without it, your best bet is probably to phone up one of the stores and get a live human being to direct you. The number of the Madison Avenue boutique in NYC is 212-988-3821, and if you really want to go to the source, the rue Faubourg Saint Honoré boutique in Paris is 011 331 42 65 74 59 (from an American phone). (Don't worry about your French. Trust me. They speak English there. Very hushed, sexy, French-accented, expensive English.) Also available online are some things from past seasons, still lurking out there and some of them (not all) bargain-priced. These breathtaking darlings

are from Spring 07 (the "Violet" collection) and they long to come and live with me. I can practically hear them calling my name, can't you? If you love the style but the purple is more than you're willing to take on, they're also available in black.

Personally, I'm all about the purple. Speaking of which, this blouse would serve a useful (and beautiful) purpose in anyone's wardrobe.

The ties loop around in back, but you could wear them a number of ways, I think.

This also comes in white. Good white blouses -- I love 'em!

This next is not exactly a bargain, but it's a similar color to that gorgeous blue trim on the gray coat I showed last week that so many people responded to so strongly.

And this little num-bah -- so veryvery French, don't you think?

And at a great price. This blouse + a great skirt in a dressy fabric + your favorite special shoes = your go-to cocktail party outfit for the rest of your life. Perfect.

And, of course, the Want Monster is torturing me with these:

From Spring 08. Every fashion editor on the planet seems to have gone mad for these sandals -- they are all over the mags & catalogs. And why not -- they're a teeny bit cutesy but who cares? (Although I think the reinforced-toe pantyhose is one particular bit of French styling perversity I'm going to leave on the shelf. I've come to embrace fishnets with open-toed shoes, but this is a bridge too far even for me. Too reminiscent of my Grandma Stella and her ever-present Peds.)

So cool. And look -- gold!!

This the sort of gold star I wish someone would award ME. For good behavior, perfect attendance, stylish excellence -- whatever. Unfortunately, they appear to be available... nowhere. They're not even on the YSL site (which has an extensive and highly drool-worthy selection of shoes, do check it out), so I don't know if they even produced any besides the runway versions. This is probably just as well, given the still-exhausted state of my MasterCard.

Sadly, also apparently available nowhere. Ah, well...

Photos: Style.com, NeimanMarcus.com, Yoox.com, telegraph.co.uk