NON-PREVIEWS: Hedi Slimane's YSL To Stay Under Wraps For Now

Any members of the press looking forward to the YSL Men's Show in Paris this Summer for a great, long awaited Hedi Slimane moment is going to be disappointed. There isn't going to be one.

The designer's triumphant return to the house that first made him famous is set for the Fall, when Slimane debuts the Spring 2013 Women's collection for Yves Saint Laurent. Though Slimane is currently working away on the Women's Resort and Men's Spring collections (in Los Angeles, reportedly), those "transitional" lines will be shown in June or July to buyers only so they can make orders, and there will be no press previews. It's hard to imagine that someone like Anna Wintour will be shut out of seeing the new YSL collections if she wants to, but it seems clear that there will be no publicity for the collections or images released to the public before the fall, when Slimane's new tenure will be fully launched. That's too bad for hungry fans of the designer who have been anxious to see him back in action, but, in a practical sense, actual customers won't be waiting any longer than they otherwise would have to buy the clothes when they start appearing in stores. And those looking for general fashion excitement over the Summer should be consoled that the next round of Haute Couture shows will presumably feature Raf Simons' debut at Christian Dior, which should cause enough chatter to fill the void left by a missing YSL show or two.

Upcoming YSL Lines for Buyers’ Eyes Only (WWD)