mY Style Legend

Trend whore, fashion victim... just a few of the 'affectionate' titles I've been honoured with over the years. Still, while I can accept that I have had a myriad of fashion disasters, I am a firm believer in the notion that sometimes, in order to get on the best dressed list, you have to prepare to end up on the worst. Hence my dalliance with a purple jumpsuit (very Barney the dinosaur), a monochrome animal print shirt (featuring leopard, zebra and snakeskin), and, in my earlier days, a well loved pair of acid orange dip dyed flares.

Still, these sartorial catastrophes have not deterred me in my quest to find the ugliest items I possibly can and attempt to pull them off with aplomb.

Hence, with Yves Saint Laurent endorsing black lipstick and bowl haircuts, I am already clamouring to get my hands on some midnight pout perfector and have been apprehended on several occasions, hazardously wielding a pair of pruning scissors with a pudding basin plonked determinedly on my head. Still, for those of you who are not quite as fearless (aka. stupid) as I, Stefano Pilati's latest collection for Yves has much to be admired - the kind of classic creations that can be worked into any wardrobe.

Black is once again, the new black and yet, far from being funereal, Pilati has fashioned an ensemble for every occasion. From beautifully tailored 'power' suits, through to the perfect winter coat, his pieces are structured but feminine - gone are the hardened 'warrior woman' silhouettes we've seen in previous seasons - this time around, it's all about wearing the trousers, but knowing it's okay to take them off.