In an Autumn/Winter collection dedicated to protection, this Yves Saint Laurent necklace designed by Stefano Pilati has all the qualities of a voodoo talisman, a protective charm to ward off evil spirits. Pilati’s interpretation, however, is a fashion talisman - warding off evil sartorial spirits, perhaps.

This is just one example of a series of heavy gold necklaces from the show, each one adorned with the silhouette of an iconic YSL outfit past. The silhouettes themselves were are taken from actual photographs of classic Yves Saint Laurent garments, sliced from seventies fashion magazines by Stefano Pilati – with Cossack boots and the outline of a peasant blouse clearly discernible, this one is taken from his epoch-defining Russian collection of 1976

In its simplicity, purity and sheer heft, there is a resemblance to a nun’s rosary worn at neck or waist. The rosary is a symbol of devotion in the Catholic faith - in this context, perhaps this necklace symbolises a similarly religious devotion to Yves Saint Laurent. Of all labels in the world, YSL is the one name that warrants it - and indeed has often received it. It's notable that Pilati took these silhouetted forms from the 1970s, a period rightly acknowledged as Saint Laurent's heyday. The trademark looks of the era - the Safari suit, flared trouser for women and platform shoes to name but a handful of those most often revived - were pioneered by Saint Laurent. Indeed, the nineteen seventies were a time where every woman rich or poor seemed to be attired in a look that could be traced directly or otherwise back to Yves' febrile imagination.

It must be stated that Stefano Pilati refuted any religious influence behind this show, but there is an distinct subtext to women chastely attired in form-concealing black-and-white, glinting symbol at neck, occasionally accessorised with a hat resembling a wimple. Perhaps this was the influence of the cult of Yves Saint Laurent past, a past Stefano Pilati is acutely aware of - not that he has any real choice in the matter. By affixing totems of YSL’s history of style so visibly to a collection composed of  his modern reinterpretations of the master's signature looks, he was arguably reconciling past with present, creating a fusion for the future.