“I WAS born to be poetic,” Yohji Yamamoto told one journalist after his SS20 show at Paris Fashion Week. True to his word, the collection was as enchantingly poetic as possible, one which interweaved both the serious and the joyful, the classic and the contemporary creating a blend of artistic detailing.
The consistent use of the black, a favourite of Yamamoto, explored the multiple dimensions of the colour as both amusing and seductive. Yamamoto’s avant garde take on tailoring, a signature of the designer throughout his 40 years of being in the industry, was present throughout the show, minimalist dresses featured geometric cut-outs at the waist and single raised shoulders, while wide-brimmed hat created a maximalist note for the show – their tassels grazing the floor as the models walked.
Yamamoto’s deconstructionist attitude is displayed through carefully weaved jackets featuring loose hanging tassels and eccentrically hooped hems. Perhaps most eye-catching however, was the attitude of whimsy that could be felt throughout the collection, specifically by the outrageously maximalist gowns that mirrored the colourful cheeriness of contemporary art.
Throughout his career, Yamamoto has created a language of his own with his designs, subtly ironic and always exploratory, the artful aspects of his SS20 collection manage to speak of both classic art and modern design, as cut-outs expose glimpses of skin underneath, a certain sense of lightness and movement permeated the air this season.
by Mirabella Shahidullah