FASHION Magazine

“It’s a blessing and a curse,” Sky Ferreira opines about the conflicting aspects of her sound, a duality in tastes that has seen her through gritty Debbie Harry–esque melodies to raw Jon Brion–produced ballads. The 19-year-old singer is a bit of a dichotomy herself: she will unabashedly profess her adoration for Britney Spears in the same breath as her love for David Bowie, and makes no apologies for being tricky to label.

Though yesterday’s news about Yves Saint Laurent’s name change was met with a torrent of outrage, one person is actually happy with the new direction of the legendary fashion house. Pierre Bergé, the late designer’s long-term business and life partner, is giving his blessing to newly appointed creative director Hedi Slimane’s brand revamp.

Bergé told WWD that Slimane called him several weeks before the announcement yesterday to give him a heads up about the name change from “Yves Saint Laurent” to “Saint Laurent Paris” (though to much of the fashion world’s relief, the YSL logo will remain the same).

“I’m very happy. Anything that makes the house more Saint Laurent is welcome,” he said. “I am happy that Stefano Pilati is gone, just as I was happy when Tom Ford left.”

As we reported yesterday, Slimane’s decision to change the name of the fashion house was an effort to recapture the original spirit of Saint Laurent’s first foray into ready-to-wear in 1966.

Bergé is even standing behind Slimane’s decision to move the quintessentially French line’s creative studio from Paris to Los Angeles, another move that has had some fashion folk foaming at the mouth.

“The creative studio is in a designer’s head, it resides within the person,” said Bergé. “Hedi lives in Los Angeles. He should be left to do fashion in a city he likes.”

While we had mixed feelings about Slimane’s decision to change YSL’s trademark moniker, a stamp of approval from someone who knew Saint Laurent better than anyone should count for something. Who knows—maybe this heralds a new era for the brand and will bring back some of the excitement of ’60s Saint Laurent.

Well, this is certainly a game-changer: Yves Saint Laurent has just announced that under the creative direction of Hedi Slimane, the fashion house will be entering a new era, complete with a new moniker.

In the next few months, the legendary French fashion house will undergo its transformation into Saint Laurent Paris, a nod to “Saint Laurent Rive Gauche,” the name YSL’s first-ever ready-to-wear collection was produced under in 1966. The rebranding will first hit sales floors as the S/S 2013 women’s collection later this year.

A YSL rep told WWD that Slimane wanted to recapture the original “impulses” that led Saint Laurent himself to make his foray into the RTW world: youth, freedom and modernity. The rebranding’s aim is to bring the house back to its “truth, purity and essence.”

Obviously, you can’t make a big change like this without eliciting some strong responses. Saint Laurent died relatively recently (in 2008), and understandably, a lot of people are still very attached to the image of the man behind the label. Taking the eponymous brand’s name in a new direction has been met with a certain degree (i.e. a lot) of outrage so far. The Twitterverse in particular was blazing with anger, with big-ticket fashion players from Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week to Independent Fashion Bloggers tweeting their distaste.

“Yves Saint Laurent is changing their name… Not gonna lie.. I’m a little upset,” MBFW tweeted.

“Why anyone would want to name change the classic Yves Saint Laurent is beyond us […],” IFB opined.

We’re a bit torn on this one: calling the “YSL” moniker iconic is almost an understatement, and anyone with the slightest inclination to fashion is probably a bit attached to the fashion house’s name and logo (which, thankfully, Slimane isn’t changing). Then again, maybe Slimane is right — maybe it is time to breathe some new life into a brand that’s long been shadowed by its founder’s legacy.

What do you think: can you get behind SLP or will you always be a YSL type?

Sometimes a collection is full of items that seem to be just begging to be turned into a manicure. Case in point: Marc Jacobs Resort 2013. The endless colour blocking and pattern mixing makes quite the mood board for anyone with a super-saturated nail polish collection. From sequined stripes that could be mimicked with metallic polishes to micro-gingham prints that are full of DIY transfer potential, it was hard to choose just one look for this week’s Nail Corner. But in the end, bright, layered florals won out—and all you need to duplicate this design are a few dotting tools and your favourite punchy-coloured polishes.

Read on and see the Marc Jacobs floral dot mani! »

View the party photos »

The 6th annual Luminato festival kicked off with major buzz on Friday night, as word spread through the opening night party that Nelly Furtado had joined K’Naan at his free concert at David Pecaut Square.

The swishy event at 25 York St. had its own surprises. Martha Wainwright jumped onstage for a sultry take on “Stormy Weather,” and spin duties were handled by Koala Kid (who must have ended the evening a few pounds lighter after sweltering in his faux fur koala costume). Yves Saint Laurent hosted the party, offering makeup touch-ups, samples of Opium and the new L’Homme Libre fragrances and the opportunity to write messages on an iPad that were then projected on a wall.

“Young, eccentric and rich” were the words makeup artist Pat McGrath used to describe the beauty look she dreamed up for Yves Saint Laurent’s Spring 2012 show. McGrath painted models’ eyelids metallic brown, their lips metallic red and bleached away their brows. The look was confident and glamorous, if not a little bit severe.

I created a softer version of this dramatic look for real life with a few small tweaks and just four products. By opting for a wash of colour on the eyes instead of opaque brown, and by highlighting your brows with tinted gel instead of bleaching them off, you’ll be super glam without looking harsh. Finish with a pop of crimson red lipstick and you’ve got an elegant look for any occasion that requires an extra jolt of confidence!

Try this look in 4 steps! Read on »

Drenched hair and skin, cheeks flushed from exertion—with clear eyes and full hearts, Kari Molvar contends this season’s beauty can’t lose.

Gearing up for fashion week is always a sport in itself, but this season designers and backstage beauty pros went for a literal interpretation. With slicked-back hair and rosy cheeks flushed as if they’d just come in from a run, models strode athletically down the runways in mesh tracksuits, neoprene zip-ups and jerseys ticked with racing stripes. But even if you’re not in training mode, the look is just as chic. With that in mind, we asked the elite hair and makeup pros to give us a few pointers on pulling off the trend.

We break down this season’s trend » HAIR | SKIN | FULL GALLERY

We certainly wouldn’t be alone in saying that our favourite thing about makeup, skincare and other beauty products is that there’s so much to choose from. But at the same time, it can be very easy to get lost in the sea of choice. If you’ve ever hummed and hawed for weeks on end about what eyeshadow colour to try next, you know what we’re talking about. This week, Beauty Fix is here to help you make a decision: we have definitive answers that will make you confident in your next beauty purchase, from lipstick trends for summer to switching up your after-shower routine.

Read on for all the answers! »

In need of a beauty fix? Email us at beautyfix@fashionmagazine.com.

A clean, graphic, classic combo—black and white make every outfit a main event.

View the photo shoot »

See the 5 picks »

From our photo shoot with 82 year-old China Machado to top tips from icons like Sophia Loren and Twiggy, we’re celebrating all things age-appropriate with a jam-packed guide.

Read what Sophia Loren, Twiggy and more have to share about the wisdom of aging and the stories of art, music and fashion.

Sophia Loren | Twiggy | Yoko Ono | Joan Collins | Donna Karan
Annie Nightingale | Deborah Harry | Iris Apfel | Mary Mcfadden