Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
PARIS, France — Punk is a state of mind, not a matter of age. It's a condition of permament opposition to the status quo, of anarchy and freedom of thought. The older Yohji Yamamoto gets, the punk-er and punk-er his attitude towards sartorial and life matters gets. There is the wonderful themeless-ness of the work, for a start: no concepts and no titles, just unbridled and imaginative detours around volume, cut and texture.
This season it was all about layers peeling off and intermingling, deceiving expectations as jackets turned into capes and sudden slits or zippered openings gave movement to coats and boilersuits. Another punk element: the total distespect for a matter such as age. Far from being silly celebrations of youth and perfection, the Yamamoto shows are filled with characters and body tipes from all walks of life, with a proclivity for the badass. This new one offered further proof: with their greasy faces and fists clenched in pockets, the Yohji posse had panache. All in all, it was a classic: Yohji being Yohji, which is very reassuring.
