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YSL Rive Gauche: Tom's Slightly Off-Target
By: Godfrey Deeny
Photos by Gruber-FWD
PARIS, Jul 2, 2002/ FWD/ --- Today, Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche felt more like plain labor.
That's not to say that there weren't plenty of great clothes, striking looks and novel ideas,
but one just couldn't feel that the zeitgeist was working chez YSL this season.
Cleverly, Tom Ford has kept the Gucci and YSL men's collections looking substantially different.
Gucci oozes nonchalant sex appeal; YSL, cerebral and sensual chic.
But where Gucci was a pretty revolutionary reworking of the rock star's wardrobe, Rive Gauche
today felt like a sophisticated but ultimately predictable reworking of the YSL canon.
Perhaps it was the presentation. Ford generously laid on state-of-the-art air conditioning in
the Beaux-Arts in Paris, a kind idea given the heat wave last week in Italy.
But then the curmudgeonly French weather sent down cold rain showers, and the A/C was about
as welcome as Kal Ruttenstein's face fan in an Irish shower.
Ironically, the show featured loads of highly wearable clothes, if anything, more than in
Gucci.
Standouts included a series of brilliant battered suede safari jackets and jerkins won with
high waisted slacks and micro belts, cool silky dress shirts opened to the waist, and an
opening salvo of brilliant '40s-ish suits.
These latter came with nipped waists, artfully splayed collars, and elegant billowing pants
and will be influential and almost certainly poorly copied.
However, the odd moments were apparent -- like the overly transparent white pants where the
interiors were all too visible, and a foursome of shorts whose pockets seemed to end well
beyond their hems.
It's true, some of the models showed off the new YSL watch to great effect.
But, most surprisingly after creating the shoe of last season - Tom's elongated YSL wingtip
in aged calf is the footwear for editors to be seen in this summer - Ford didn't really offer
a single new look on this outing.
The ergonomic naughty aviator shades, however, were fabulous.
If there was one winner in this show it was on the models noses.
Ford has managed to rebuild Rive Gauche men's into a business of classy yet sexy clothing.
Today in Paris he certainly had a commercial hit, but somehow he didn't quite hit the zeitgeist.
You can't do it every show.
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