Volume and Space: Yohji Yamamoto Ready-to-Wear Paris Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2014-15

Japanese designer Yohji Yamamoto has consistently created some of the most engaging and rewarding collections to manifest in all their darkened glory on the runways of Paris. The avant-garde designer is widely considered to be one of the masters of deconstruction, and is famously known for swathing the body in loose, unstructured and voluminous garments which alter the lines of the human figure. Pieces are minimalistic yet possess a high degree of detailing—from elaborate and skillful cutting, to the addition of flaps, straps and extra layers.

Yamamoto’s previous collection for Spring/Summer had seen a sensual theme inform the collection with an emphasis on deconstruction and reduction of material; however the new season showed Yamamoto’s ability to casually flip the switch, and to keep pushing his oeuvre in new directions. With his new ready-to-wear collection shown at Paris Fashion Week for Autumn/Winter 2014-15, the designer conceived an adroit presentation that subverted the sensual and created a vision of volume, safety and warmth in a playful manner.

Yohji Yamamoto has always been defined by his powerful use of silhouettes that obscure and reshape the human form, and this show was no exception, as exaggerated silhouettes were the undisputed stars of the show. The density of the outerwear created an illusionary effect as to the proportions of the body, with a puffed-out cocoon shape appearing in a host of variations which dominated the show. The duvet-like padded coats were initially in Yamamoto’s signature black, and possessed of shape and weight they resembled a gothic phantasm enshrouding the doll-like models. The dense black gave way to the billowing jackets bearing unrestrained colors and prints similar to those used in the fall menswear collection. Prints referenced anime and the Japanese “superflat” art movement with their psychedelic explosion of energy.

What resulted was another masterful and effortlessly fresh collection from the designer, demonstrating his ability to keep creating new shapes and to change his reputation for sticking to a strict and severe aesthetic. With this collection, Yohji Yamamoto could be seen simultaneously expressing his most avant-garde and joyful imagination.