The sex was good. No, the sex was great. Thank you, Yohji Yamamoto.
The designer’s exploration of a genre with which he is not readily associated was complicated, a little twisted (literally and figuratively) and very beautiful. Yamamoto found sensuality not by forcing the body into a power-hourglass, but by freeing it, his dedication to loose shapes on full display.
In the boudoir Yamamoto found graceful dishabille, his models comfortable with a sensuality that would manifest itself in ways from gentle (though never innocent) to aggressive. Loosely cut slips flowed one over the other, straps falling and silhouettes slightly askew. Jackets with the ease of pajama shirts had undone corset lacings. Transparency came in laces, burnouts and mottled, webby knits that looked aged, as if they’d seen their share of living. These were all on the soft side.
There were also cropped jackets that riffed on the classic jeans jacket over bare midriffs, a flash infusion via gold leathers and a “Night Porter” moment in pants with harness suspenders over bandeaus. Items unzipped at seemingly random places to reveal slivers of skin. Some of the models wore thick stockings secured by demonstrative garters.
You May Also Like
A primal tension pulsed through the show. Yet this was more than a study in sensuality unleashed; it was impressive fashion. The clothes were crafted with elements idiosyncratic to Yamamoto’s work — asymmetry, layering, involved cuts. Perhaps counterintuitive to his platform of sexual freedom, the designer delivered them here with a creative restraint that made the clothes more accessible than much of what we’re accustomed to seeing from him.
Yamamoto closed the show with a bizarrely gorgeous bride. Corseted to the nines, her torso covered in purple flowers and strands of beads, she wore a crash helmet and demure white driving gloves. Hers was the show’s only physically restrictive look. A statement from Yamamoto that marriage restrains a woman, sexually and otherwise? Perhaps. Or maybe he thought, hey, this is fashion. What a great way to end a show.