Thursday, January 14, 2010

High Fashion’s (re) Evaluation.

Saying sayonara to possibly the most mental year in recent fashion history—with luxury brands throwing up their hands to stay relevant in this era of fast fashion/slow economic times—YSL revisits the most innovative trend to emerge from last year, high fashion’s foray into eco-chic.

Just before the end of last year, designer Stefano Pilati rolled out YSL’s New Vintage Collection II. The latest collection, which consists of 121 limited edition pieces priced lower than the typical ready-to-wear collection, is available at YSL flagship boutiques in Paris, London and New York. The first collection, a surprising logical and balanced answer to the green fashion paradox, debuted at Barneys in June and sold out before most of us could get a gander in. As before, the capsule collection is recreated from unused archived fabrics that were fated for “le trash can” and cut into updated version’s of YSL’s classic silhouettes.

The final diagnosis is that a consumer’s relationship to fashion has changed profoundly. The current feeling or trend is that shopping to excess is old hat and seeking out classics or cherished vintage pieces is the sane solution to last year’s fashion meltdown.