Ever the genial wizard behind the curtain, Yohji Yamamoto shows his hand, but it’s your imagination that works to fill in the blanks.
And as a famous line from fictional detective Sherlock Holmes goes, most of these conclusions are erroneous.
Case in point: The Japanese latest collection, with its somber palette and deconstruction, had guests speculating about passing time and fashion eras drawing to a close, the state of the world and heightened emotions.
Even London-based pianist Pavel Kolesnikov, who performed a number of classical pieces live during the first part of the show, was drawn to describe the atmosphere as “very, very dreamy but also quite dark.”
But backstage, amidst the habitual goodnatured verbal sparring with journalists attempting to unwrap what his spring lineup meant, he revealed a much more lighthearted starting point.
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“I wanted to make some outfits [as if] they were made by children — it was so difficult,” he said with a sly grin.
Dress after dress seemed made of dress-up box finery, swathes of fabrics chosen by a magpie with a broad taste in textiles and handfuls of ribbons. The results ran the gamut from relaxed tailoring with a sporty edge and dressy daywear to sexy and dramatic gowns.
Rare indeed is the child who can turn out something that looks like it’s about to fall apart but is anchored by the barest minimum in terms of rigorously constructed structure.
The quintet of impeccable executed and archetypal red finale dresses served as a reminder of Yamamoto’s skills in that regard, though what he meant by them remained out of reach behind his habitual twinkle in the eye.
But they prompted the thought that despite having used all fresh material — he said so when queried about repurposing — this was his commentary on how a bit of childlike imagination and solid technique could be what the industry needs to address what it already has at hand.
