Reporting from Paris -- In the end, the return of the Yves Saint Laurent menswear collection to the Paris runway was more a matter of calendar timing than anything else; instead of being held the Wednesday night before the official men's Paris Fashion Week kicks off, it took place in a Friday noon time slot. 

Other than that, it unspooled no differently than most recent seasons; it was still held in the same Rue D'Artois showroom and was once again preceded by a short film that, while entertaining, has little to do directly with the collection that follows.

YSL designer Stefano Pilati has chosen to head for the hills to shoot his Spring/Summer '09 ad campaign: the Hollywood Hills and that famous sign that sits on them, to be exact.

The images shot by Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin feature Claudia Schiffer in the Spring '09 collection, arching and posing in the golden sun next to the giant “Y” in the Hollywood sign. 

Appropriately, Schiffer’s hair and makeup is that of a young Jean Harlow -- slightly frizzy, white-blond finger waves and 1940s orangey-red lipstick. 

In addition to the campaign, the shots will run in Pilati’s Spring/Summer '09 “Manifesto,” which is a statement relaying his vision for the Yves Saint Laurent collection. The manifesto and images are housed on a collectible heart-shaped USB drive, which will be distributed in a limited edition YSL tote bag to the first 2,000 passersby on the streets of New York, Hong Kong, London, Milan, Paris and Tokyo on Feb. 14.

Sadly, even though the campaign is inspired by and shot in Hollywood, the totes will not be passed out in L.A.

But if you’re lucky enough to find yourself in one of the aforementioned cities this Valentine’s Day, watch out for those totes -- there’s a heart and a bit of Hollywood inside.

-- Melissa Magsaysay

Photos: YSL