Friday March 5th, 2010 – Lycee Carnot – Paris 17e
The saying ‘sometimes you need to take a step back to take two forward’ seems like sound advice, but for Yohji, he decided that one needs to go as far back as elementary school to be fashion forward. Even the backdrops for the show signaled that ‘Principal Yamamoto’ was about to give a powerful lesson in demure construction – invitations printed on school paper & a schoolyard would serve as a catwalk. Solemn school girls opened the show in a declination of navy school uniforms, coats and suits with knife-pleated skirts. As the show progressed, so too did the looks, maturing one look to the next, almost as if the school girls were graduating from their simple beginnings into adulthood.
Solemnity evolved into femininity, and the graduated school girl began wearing bustier dresses made of coarse, coat materials. Then came a mens shirt, worn as a peacoat dress followed by a navy blue knitwear jumpsuit worn with removable gloves. Nearly every look was paired with flat black cavalier boots and some looks even sported sunglasses; a teaser of new Yohji accessories to come. One black coat near the end had an interesting cookie-cutter-like crease sewn from the upper shoulder down to the waistline that revealed itself to be a woman’s profile.
By the end, Yohji’s schoolgirl was no more, stepping into the next chapter of life as a bride. The stitched profile was incorporated into the bride’s black dress coat; her hair covered by a thin red filet veil topped by a miniature regal crown. At first, we were left wondering who would marry this dark princess, but a small smile at the end let us know that her groom could only be Mr. Optimism.
Visit Yohji Yamamoto for store locations
Shop Yohji Yamamoto online via yoox.com
See our pictures below:
