Japanese Modernity Meets French Opulence At Yohji Yamamoto Spring/Summer 2023
Asymmetrical cuts meet corsetry, and deconstruction meets sharp tailoring.
A masterpiece in construction and tailoring, Yohji Yamamoto never fails to bring a lyricism and poetry to his collections in every shade of black. Set in the ceremonial room of the Hôtel de Ville—the lavishly decorated city hall of Paris—the show cuts a dialogue between Japanese modernity and French opulence. Asymmetrical cuts meet corsetry, and deconstruction meets sharp tailoring.
There’s a fragility in the designer’s vision of women: part girl, part nymph, part maiden, part school girl and part temptress. It’s a world of bustiers and flailing silk ribbons, of body skimming dresses with strategic cut outs of pale alabaster skin peeping through. When Yohji Yamamoto injects Japanese words and symbols in, it punctuates his sombre attire with colour via print or black wordings on white silk accents.
The message is clear: Yohji’s woman is multi-faceted—strong, with a gentle vulnerability; and a joyous vision of life that makes her so in tune with a post-Covid world. We cannot wait to see what else she does.
2NE1's Sandara Park was among those spotted at the front row.