PARIS — If Yves Saint Laurent was widely hailed as a feminist for freeing women from pinching bustiers and nip-waisted dresses, what does that make Gareth Pugh? The British bad boy designer sent models out in convict stripes, leather cages and head-englobing plastic tears for his spring-summer 2012 collection at Paris fashion week. Pugh’s artistry is easy enough to appreciate: From a purely aesthetic point of view, his abbreviated sheath dresses made out of vertical strips of black or white leather were indisputably beautiful. – – more from Paris
