No, Suzy Menkes Did Not Break News Of Raf Simons Going To YSL

by Julia Rubin | 2:12 pm, September 25th, 2011

Reader beware: the Twitter echo chamber is a dangerous thing. Contrary to popular internet belief, Suzy Menkes DID NOT break news that Raf Simons is taking over at Yves Saint Laurent.

Allow us to explain how this all went down. International Herald Tribune online style editor Jessica Michault tweeted this:

“Say WHAT?!” yelled the collective fashion internet, us included. We went straight to the New York Times website to read Menkes’s earth-shattering piece. But all we found was a review of Simons’s Jil Sander show. The lede reads:

If Raf Simons ultimately takes over the helm at Yves Saint Laurent — as those familiar with the situation in Paris suggest — the designer will have found a sweet spot for his meticulous modernism.

And further down in the piece:

Although the designer was traveling back to his native Belgium and could not be reached for comment on the subject of YSL, he certainly has earned an audition for that position.

Um, this is hardly what Michault suggested. Menkes wrote that some people in the Paris fashion scene are postulating that Simons might take over for Stefano Pilati eventually. Just as they do every Fashion Week, rumors are swirling about Pilati’s possible exit, but Menkes makes no real claims about the situation. Of course, since Michault didn’t include a link in her initial tweet (that followed about 20 minutes after), the resulting Twitter freakout ensued:

Yes, Business of Fashion‘s Imran Amed, CFDA CEO Steven Kolb, Bryan Boy, and countless others were all duped by Michault’s misleading tweet. Not cool, Jess. Not cool at all.

UPDATE: YSL has released a statement regarding the rumors.

“September 2011, Paris — Yves Saint Laurent disclaims and regards as unfounded the current rumors concerning the creative direction of the house. Stefano Pilati continues to dedicate his talent and energies to Yves Saint Laurent and the coming fashion show.”

bryan boy business of fashion Jessica Michault Raf Simons Stefano Pilati Steven Kolb Suzy Menkes Twitter Yves Saint Laurent

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