Stefano Pilati Is Staying At Yves Saint Laurent...For Now

Noted fashion critic Suzy Menkes, she of rotund figure and There's Something About Maryhair, is no doubt a highly respected voice on the apparely industry. While she mostly works for the International Herald Tribune, her work is often featured in the New York Times as well, especially during fashion week. In her review of the womenswear showing for Jil Sander, Menkes offhandedly opened with this line: "If Raf Simons ultimately takes over the helm at Yves Saint Laurent -- as those familiar with the situation in Paris suggest -- the designer will have found a sweet spot for his meticulous modernism."

Say what!? Did the highly connected writer just let a huge cat of the bag by informing the world, by way of The Times, that the current designer at Yves Saint Laurent, Stefano Pilati, was being elbowed out? It sure as hell seemed like it. Immediately after, the Twitter-verse spread the news with varying amounts of shock.

Yves Saint Laurent executives has since rectified the situation by releasing an official statement saying that Menkes' speculative remarks were unfounded and that Pilati was currently staying put, but as the old adage goes, the damage is already done. For those who remember, nary a season has gone by for the past handful of years where there weren't whispers about Pilati's fate at the storied house of Saint Laurent. People suggest that underwhelming critical response and lackluster customer response leaves the designer on the outs, but his continued presence suggests otherwise. Another season, another rumor -- so it seems. Simons would certainly be an interesting person to lead the house, but lets not put the cart before the horse, shall we? Once again, it looks like all the whispers and tweets are for not. Matters at YSL look like they'll remain the same...for now.