New Tokyo Stories: The Avant-Garde Aesthetic of Yohji Yamamoto Spring/Summer 2015

Yohji Yamamoto needs no introduction to the fashion savvy. A genius that manifested in the fashion maelstrom that was 1980s Japanese fashion, Yamamoto has created a narrative of silhouettes and shapes that is utterly his—totally inimitable. Today, countless collections and iterations on him remains a potent creative force, and with the Yohji Yamamoto Paris Menswear Collection Spring/Summer 2015, we find him in his element, presenting a flurry of unique silhouettes, dynamic cuts and playful patterns.

Taking its calls from legendary Japanese director Ozu Yasujiro’s film Tokyo Story, a brilliant humanist account of an aging couple, Yamamoto seeks to investigate the common threads of fashion that exist across borders: the invisible links between different cultures fashion aesthetics permeate. His latest collection showcases kimono-style cuts paired with lounging pleated hakama pants that segue into asymmetrically cut and aggressively deconstructed patched jackets. As always, the man he envisions is an esoteric figure. In him, references collided with aplomb: the causal and the formal. Elegant patterns mixed with stripped “prison pattern” pants and deconstructed blazers/capes strapped across the body simultaneously embody the dandy and the outlaw. Weaving together these disparate cultural and sartorial references is the Japanese design icon’s constant fashion vision. A testament to his power, the collection never seems less than controlled; rather, the seemingly random nature of the references in the hands of the master result not in a formless explosion but rather a solid fusion of styles that will see its way to be brought and worn come retail. These are desirable pieces, with enough dynamics and interest to enliven even the most staid of wardrobes.