Stefano Pilati Talks Yves Saint Laurent, Tom Ford and His Next Move

When news broke that Stefano Pilati would be leaving Yves Saint Laurent after six years, a sadness swept through Planet Fashion. Just weeks later, the designer presented his final collection for the luxury brand during Paris Fashion Week, paying tribute to one of the pillars of the YSL look: Le Smoking. At the time Grazia's Style Director Paula Reed wrote, 'the standing ovation in the room was a heartfelt send off for a man who has been treated shabbily.' And now, on the one-month anniversary of the dramatic announcement, Monsieur Pilati has spoken for the first time in public since his departure. At the French Institute Alliance Française on Tuesday evening, Pamela Golbin interviewed the designer about his career - from Prada to Miu Miu to YSL - working with Tom Ford and having no regrets. Here are the interview highlights...

On designing for Yves Saint Laurent

'Let’s not go there. Challenging is not the right word. It was dramatic. It was tragical'

On working with Tom Ford

'Tom has enough confidence for everybody around him, and I definitely got it from him. I question every single moment of my life, what I say, what I didn’t say, so imagine someone who actually brings me there and gives me a lot of responsibility, with an amazing relationship, it was interesting.'

On having no regrets

'It's pretty beautiful what happened to me. I found myself working and being supported and encouraged by amazing people, who I always admired and still admire. I found myself at the end of this chapter and don't regret one minute.'

On his approach at Yves Saint Laurent

'At least one thing I wanted to keep completely intact was to be spontaneous and instinctive, which is also what I think that Mr. Saint Laurent taught us. I always went with the first ideas.'

On what's next

'Lots and lots of vacation. I find myself with this amazing experience. I want to use it for something that makes me feel that I am part of this moment and that helps me to continue. Unless I decide to stay on vacation for the rest of my life, I am pretty sure I have the energy and the knowledge at least to try to do something relevant, something that is part of what people need.'