Cheryl Shops

Let's talk about Yves Saint Laurent. Pardon me, Saint Laurent. The incredibly talented yet perhaps a bit rusty Hedi Slimane took over for Stefano Pilati last year and showed his first ready-to-wear collection, for spring/summer 2013, last October. The collection was pretty much panned by critics, who were perhaps a bit ruffled by the questionable actions of Yves Saint Laurent's publicists. Retailers, however, were reportedly salivating over the very '70s-influenced styles, and, well, after all my years in this business, I tend to side with them. So, apparently, does Gwyneth Paltrow, who was spotted all over L.A. carrying Slimane's duffel bag and igniting many a fashionista's lust for the next It Bag. Hey, we're only human.

So, the collection has finally hit stores, Barneys New York in particular, and while the clothes are admittedly great, I only have eyes for the Classic Duffel. Admit it: It's a gorgeous bag. It's a totally classic shape, and it's not plastered with Ys, like the bags of the Pilati era (which are still great bags nonetheless). It's streamlined and clean, with one outer slip pocket, a detachable shoulder strap, and a subtle, tasteful, small embossed Saint Laurent logo at the front. Clearly there's a new sheriff in town. But like his predecessor's reign, I have a feeling the bulk of the fashion house's revenues will come from accessories, and thus the duffel is priced to get the most bag for the buck: The small size is $2,150 (the medium is $2,650), which puts it higher than even YSL's previous moneymaker, the Muse. The (perhaps sad) fact is that lots of people will totally pay that amount, and, if I had that amount of disposable income, so would I. Like I said, it's classic, and it's a beauty. The clothes may be subject to the whims of fashion critics, but the luxury houses know it's the bags that butter the proverbial bread. Pass the basket.

In spite of the fact that I write a blog devoted to the pursuit of shopping, I have a price threshold for most things. For shoes, my favorite, it's actually about $300. (An exception: I paid full price—much more than $300—for my wedding shoes, which I wore, you guessed it, once.) And while I do manage to score some amazing pairs on sale, this has prevented me from investing in some really quality footwear. Take, for example, YSL Tribute sandals. In a neutral color like black or nude, they're practically a classic at this point, and I have a feeling that if I actually ponied up for a pair, I would definitely get my money's worth. (Side note: They are, by almost all reports, incredibly comfortable, which is always a bonus when you're spending $800 on a pair of shoes.) The problem is, I just can't pull the trigger.

I had no problem whatsoever buying Vince Camuto's Toleo sandals. Okay, they are a blatant knockoff, however the front straps are thinner, and the platform doesn't have quite the same sculptural quality. That said, they are finished quite well, with a stitched sole and a nice balance to them. While I can't exactly compare them with the Tributes, I can report that they're so comfortable, I walked from my office in Times Square to the East Village with nary a blister. Also, it should be noted, they make your legs look fantastic. At $98, they're pretty much a no-brainer: I will probably order them in nude and, Vince, if you're reading this, whatever other color I can snatch up—silver would be absolutely fantastic, wouldn't it?  

Friends & Family sales used to be reserved specifically for just that--friends and family of a label or store's workers. In many cases, they remain as such, but with the proliferation of (ahem) shopping blogs and coupon websites, Friends & Family sales have increasingly become marketing tools. Not that I'm complaining. There are generally two types of Friends & Family sales: the first tend to involve coupons or discount codes for 20 or 25% off your purchase; the second are warehouse sales in which a designer clears out old inventory, often at ridiculously low prices. This week's Yves Saint Laurent sale falls into the latter category--but it's open to the public and promises prices up to 75% off retail. Lilah Delilah at Madison Avenue Spy has some helpful tips (note to self: watch out for big men hoarding bags), and having been to this sale before, I can attest that prices definitely fall on the last day, if you can manage to wait that long. 10/28-10/30; 8-8 Th & F, 9-4 S; Metropolitan Pavilion, 125 W. 18th St. (6th & 7th Aves.).

If shopping from the comfort of your own computer is more your speed, some stores have already started on fall markdowns, notably Shopbop, where prices are up to 70% off, and Saks Fifth Avenue, where they're 40-60% off.

When blogs go bad
It's inevitable that the bigger a blog gets, at some point it's going to start to suck. Case in point: Gawker. Another blog I loved when it first came out was Fashionista, which had a fun mix of DIY tips, insider scoops, and profiles of indie designers. Ever since founding editor Faran Krentcil left, however, it's started to go downhill. The post that really annoyed me was this one announcing the death of Yves Saint Laurent, particularly the part about his shoes. Really, the shoes? Of all the wonderful things we can thank YSL for--pants, leopard print, taking women out of 1950s prissy looks--they chose to talk about the shoes? Which, if we want to get technical (and I do), were not designed by YSL himself but by current designer Stefano Pilati who is, in fact, alive. And while I'm at it, the rest of the offending sentence--"We never met him"--is perhaps just as bad. Of course you've never met him; even Alicia Drake, who wrote the wonderful book The Beautiful Fall, about YSL's rivalry with Karl Lagerfeld, couldn't get an interview with him. After five years of trying. But I digress.

One of Fashionista's more controversial series of posts is the "Adventures in Copyright" series; what started out as legitimate--Diane von Furstenberg and Anna Sui have both sued Forever 21 over prints which, like logos, are legally protected in the United States--eventually devolved into calling out high-street stores (Forever 21, Topshop, and Baker's Shoes are frequent targets) for knocking off designer goods. Fashionista's official stance is that we shoppers shouldn't buy knockoffs, because they don't protect designers' ingenuity; instead, they think we should support innovation by buying original designs. This credo, while noble (and in line with the CFDA), is, if you ask me a bit idealistic. Clothing and shoe designs cannot be copyrighted in the U.S. because they are functional, utilitarian items (essential to life, if you will). True, the CFDA is working to change this law, but I think considering the current economic climate, they don't have a prayer. Also, aside from opening a Pandora's Box of lawsuits, challenging the law would, in a way, be challenging our Capitalist system. Now, there are many aspects of Capitalism that drive me crazy (the exorbitant amount of money I pay for my health insurance comes to mind; the Bush administration invoking it for justifying their cronyism is another), but, really, where do you draw the line? Can Levi's claim ownership of blue jeans? What about Chanel and the little black dress? See what I mean?

So, along those lines, came today's post written by a intern, called Would you wear a knock-off? I suggest reading the post itself for the full effect, but, basically, the writer had a drink with a friend and called out the friend on her knockoff YSL tribute shoes and knockoff YSL Mondrian dress (the former from Baker's shoes, the latter from Forever 21). The friend--gasp!--not only admitted they were knockoffs but showed no remorse in buying them; after all, it's not like she could afford the originals (especially since a true YSL Mondrian dress like this one would most likely be found only in a museum or, if you could possibly find one at auction, would probably cost upwards of $100,000. The Tribute sandals are $760). The writer was appalled.

Now, first things first. If a friend wrote a trite, judgmental post like this about me--especially in a public forum like a widely-read fashion blog--I would probably never talk to them again. That said, the writer is clearly stuck in a fashion-world bubble. Yes, many people buy knockoffs without realizing they're a cheaper version of something a higher-end designer created first, but many other people--myself included--buy knockoffs knowing full well that they are what they are. (Note: I am talking about derivatives, not counterfeits, which are illegal--as I said earlier, logos and prints are copyright-protected--not to mention tacky.) First of all, most people who can afford $800 shoes aren't going to be buying the $80 version, and, likewise, those who are buying the $80 version probably cannot even begin to dream of affording the $800 version (and if they can, so what? They can choose to spend their money however they want). Just because people choose to spend less on fashion doesn't mean they should be excluded from wearing the season's trends. And as I noted earlier, we are a capitalist society; the same principles that allow Bakers to create a lookalike (but most likely inferior) product for a tenth of the price also allow big designers to be compensated accordingly. Take, for example, the often-ripped-off Marc Jacobs; you can read about his multimillion-dollar art collection and his Left Bank apartment here. And while we're on the topic of Marc Jacobs, yes, he's truly an innovative designer (and one of my most admired), but, by god, he's a knockoff artist himself--everyone from Claude Montana to Halston has shown up as an influence on his runway, which leads me to my final point. There's no way that fashion-copyright protection laws can be enacted, because not only do mass-market retailers knock off high-end designers, but high-end designers knock off each other. And vintage! And street fashion! Pot calling the kettle black, people!

So, back to the original point of my post, which is that Fashionista has gone downhill, and now they've managed to alienate a large percentage of their readers with today's post (if you don't believe me, read the 150-odd comments--a Fashionista record). I will probably keep reading it, just so that I don't miss something important, but, ugh, begrudgingly so.

In memoriam
I'm sure you've heard by now, but in case you haven't, Yves Saint Laurent died from brain cancer on Sunday. This is incredibly sad news. Monsieur Saint Laurent had battled depression and drug addiction for much of his life, and while his health had been poor for several years, his death came as a surprise for many. Saint Laurent is one of the most influential and important designers of the 20th centry; we can thank him for safari jackets, tie-neck blouses, leopard print, and, most importantly, pants. He was also one of the first designers to operate his business in the modern way by opening a ready-to-wear house and licensing his name in order to drum up capital. The Times' coverage is the most extensive; I particularly suggest checking out this collection of YSL YouTube clips, from The Moment Blog. I highly recommend Alicia Drake's thoroughly researched and beautifully written book The Beautiful Fall (which also has a lot of juicy Karl Lagerfeld dish). I also recommend the book Yves Saint Laurent, 5 Avenue Marceau and its accompanying documentary, which, if you're lucky, you can sometimes catch late at night on the Sundance channel. It's a bit dry, but it's the rare chance to see the master at work.

The silver lining in this cloud is that the very capable Stefano Pilati is continuing Saint Laurent's legacy with chic clothing that remains true to his vision. Nevertheless, stock up on vintage YSL while you can...