Paris Fashion Week: YSL and Chanel

You might think from my recent posts on the Yves Saint Laurent Manifesto marketing campaign that I don't like the brand. But I do, and last night's show reminded me of why. C.E.O. Valerie Hermann (said to be an old school friend of PPR Chairman Francois-Henri Pinault) has done a admirable job of stemming the house's loses and turning around its fortunes. She did it by introducing some no-brainers, like a fab handbag collection, but also by launching the capsule travel collection at lower prices than the runway collection and a rather nice, if small, collection of costume jewelery. Meanwhile, designer Stefano Pilati has managed to advance the collection into one that a woman of any age can wear. The tailored jackets and dresses with delicate folds are much more wearable than some of his earliest attempts.

And while a YSL logo vest may not be for everyone, it looked great on the runway.

Chanel's show this morning was an homage to America. Or perhaps a desperate plea of "Don't stop shopping, yet!" Red, white and blue, stars and stripes, all the key indicators of a strong national identity -- if not necessarily a strong collection -- were there. The best pieces were the evening dresses, some with sequined panels on the waist, others with delicate layers. And the jackets, of course, which Karl can rework indefinitely. He did grommets, too, but with a purpose -- to hold gilt chains -- unlike the ones at Givenchy. More confusing was the men's collection (modeled I am told on Karl Lagerfeld's boyfriend and his driver) -- a Chanel logo tie with a dollar sign tie clip? A denim jumpsuit? And some of the women's accessories -- particularly a small quilted Chanel bag that is worn around the ankle and looks remarkably like one of those alcohol detection devices celebrities in rehab have to wear in L.A. Or maybe that's more America than the stars and stripes today.

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