Making Magic at Saint Laurent Stefano Pilati has given his last show for Yves Saint Laurent, a seven-year journey of triumphs and flops that ended on Monday evening at the Museum of Minerals and Geology with a respectful ovation led by his boss, Francois-Henri Pinault, chairman of PPR. Mr. Pinault stood between his wife, the actress Salma Hayek and the YSL muse extraordinaire, Catherine Deneuve. It was not an especially moving sendoff, and Mr. Pilati, who is expected to be replaced by Hedi Slimane - an announcement is likely this week - came out smiling and waving. To his credit. He was Tom Ford's former assistant at YSL and when Mr. Ford left Gucci Group, in the spring of 2004, Mr. Pilati took over. And there he stayed, despite mixed reviews and rumors in recent years that he was about to be replaced. PPR, which was started by Mr. Pinault's father, Francois, didn't make bold creative hires after it took over Gucci Group. This was understandable; their experience was in retailing, not high-end fashion. They kept Tomas Maier at Bottega Veneta, a decision that has worked out extremely well. They promoted Frida Giannini at Gucci. Her designs have been solid but far from dazzling. Nicolas Ghesquiere, the creative force at Balenciaga, was already in place. The other key brands in the group, Alexander McQueen and Stella McCartney, were in the hands of their young founders. Designers take on jobs because of ego and ambition, but also because companies believe they have made the right choice. Mr. Pilati is very talented - there is no doubt about that. He is sophisticated, knows about fabrics, and is daring in a way that gets results. But he was never the right person for Saint Laurent. He struggled with Mr. Saint Laurent's legacy and with the colors, and he generally over-thought the sexy bits. His last collection reflected that tendency. He offered sharp, seductive tailoring (his strong suit) and an exceptional semi-caped fur jacket over slim trousers and a chain-mesh top, but got waylaid in too many chain dresses and lily-is-for-lust motifs. He recovered with some beautifully plain gowns and pants outfits embroidered with chain coils. And though as creative director Mr. Pilati takes it in the teeth for what Saint Laurent is or is not today, you can't really blame him. PPR makes the decisions. Fashion is a tough, cruel business, but it is also a fragile ecosystem. Filling creative positions isn't just a matter of talent but rather, finding the right talent for the job. And in fashion, one of the most basic ingredients is a talent to create products that people seem to desperately want.