fashion newsflash the tulip bubble; Yves Saint Laurent's curvy little skirts are springing up like bulbs everywhere.(product details of Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche)(Brief Article)

Byline: Sally Singer

Fashion's lingering obsession with "volume" has led women everywhere to get a little loose below the waist. But the difficulty with most full skirts-the peasant, the gypsy, the swing-out circle-is that, although they might do the business style-wise, they never really do business. Their pastoral roots always imply that the wearer would rather be walking in a garden of blooming peonies.

So isn't it nice that a new silhouette has bloomed this spring? It's the tulip: high on the tummy, rounded over the hips, with a surprising sauciness that is as eye-catching as a town-house window box in May. Stefano Pilati argued forcefully for this ...