In an industry that revolves around speed, youth and novelty, Yohji Yamamoto stands out. He is old school, even the tips of his fingers smell of tobacco, and at 80 years old that is not going to change. He is about a man who was born during World War II, when bombs were falling on Tokyo, and who still carries “a darkness inside” from the old days.
Backstage after the show, Yamamoto lit a cigarette (not e-cigarettes for him) and talked about the old days and how he immediately bonded with his German friend Wim Wenders because they were both children of war. “We're like brothers. We share the same memories,” he said.
He called Wenders and other friends from the house to participate in the show, which was about family, tradition and history. The models were old and young, tall and short, men and women. Many of them walked in pairs and could have been old friends or family out for a Sunday walk.
They wore similar clothing, such as the designer's long, flowing coats and boxy jackets with all sorts of embellishments: paintings of women in sensual poses, gold feather brooches, and cryptic or nonsensical messages sewn in block letters on the front and back. .
One said, “I love Yohji but he's for sale,” while another declared, “YoYo loves black. Are your underwear black? It is transparent?
“People should have the freedom to express themselves,” said the designer, who also took his masterful tailoring to the next level.
In a season of statement shoulders, Yamamoto made some big statements, crafting epaulettes that looked molded from clay and others with leather straps and buttons. The puffed shoulders of a long jacket looked like something out of a Victorian lady's blouse.
Yamamoto's collections are poetic, although this season there were too many lines. He could have cut the show time in half and used a less soporific soundtrack. But hey, what's the rush?
“Calm is important,” Yamamoto said, explaining his choice of soft, slow music, including a rendition of Dua Lipa’s “Levitating” and a cover of “The Little Drummer Boy.”
“I don't want to surprise people with the sound. I want to surprise them with my clothes,” states the designer, happy with his place in the fashion firmament.
