Cinema is the name of a YSL fragrance and integral to the way Stefano Pilati presents his men’s wear. His latest fashion film starred Michael Pitt, but no clothes. Instead, the black-and-white clip by photographers Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin zoomed in on the actor’s face as an off-camera female voice read poetry extolling the erotic power of men’s clothes. Once the ode to crepe de chine and flannel ended, and Pitts’ eyes stopped rolling in ecstacy, models marched down a short runway in the real stuff. Pilati described the script, read and written by Stephanie Cohen, as a literary riff on the concepts upon which he built the collection. If that sounds highfalutin, it was. But the clothes themselves were closer to prose than iambic pentameter, and had an appealing swagger. Pilati said he was interested in “breaking up” familiar tailored pieces without losing “classic” appeal. And so impeccable tailored coats were paired with cropped dress pants worn over silk leggings – a combo that may not be everyone’s cup of tea. “You’d need some mighty long legs to pull them off,” opined actress Catherine Deneuve, who with Charlotte Rampling took in the show. There were other sartorial tricks, including trousers with a funky pyramid pleat. Much of Pilati’s energy fell to the details, from a faux crocodile coat to the fine ribbing on a short leather jacket. In an economy where showing wealth has become unseemly, Pilati’s focused collection had the right vibe.