Minimal Graffiti
The crowd was gathered in the rain. I immediately knew I was at the right place for the Yohji Yamamoto défilé: everyone was wearing black.
An occasional touch of white, but mostly head-to-toe black. It was a foreshadowing of the journey we were about to embark on, with the ferry arriving just beyond the elegantly carved double doors.
Yohji Yamamoto Spring 2017
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As the models emerged one by one, the clothes were what we were there to see, but the hair kept us all on our toes. The cowlick is back at Yohji Yamamoto, and it was first rather off-putting: but as more looks emerged, one immediately realized that the hair mirrored the bare-bones, shapely collection put before us by the man himself. Even the stroke of white paint on their faces added to the effect.
The cowlick is back.
Chunks of fabric wrapped around — and later loosely hung from — the models’ arms, as if bonded to the body of the outfit. Revamped overalls made an appearance and they looked damn stunning. Is Yamamoto showing us the future direction of the trendy neckband?
Revamped overalls made an appearance.
A major takeaway, season after season, is how easy Yamamoto makes his talent seem. His brilliance is in making it appear as if he just grabs a large square of fabric, rips a head and an armhole into it, decisively drapes it over a model, and sends her out to show the world. A major motif was raw-edged fabrics, hanging just over a shoulder or off the back of a jacket — or lazily down from a top. They sometimes appeared as an uneven and incomplete layer, although really it was just an accessory.
A sub-collection was shown in the middle, of mainly white garments with strategic paint spatters and smears that was a bit alternative to the norm — it had a rocker chick vibe: and just then, the music changed.
Just then, the music changed.
One very exciting and unexpected bit was the large, exterior breast pocket, just as I saw in Aalto‘s presentation at the start of the week. Get ready to expose what you’re carrying.
The one piece I am coveting is a black silk top layer which had an elegant “Yamamoto” engraved across the back, with its yarns hanging freely, just as the Yamamoto girl lives. It made me want to be a Yamamoto girl, strolling the streets in a relaxed and calculated assortment of fabric straps.
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With love,
FWO
