Yohji Yamamoto

Posted 2nd October 2009 00:00 BY Laura Bradley

Anyone who thought the strips of bright pink metallic adoring the invite would give a small clue to what Yohji Yamamoto would show for Spring/Summer was mistaken. In fact, there was no colour, save for the bright blocks of eye-shadow, on white-faced girls with ghoulish back-combed grey hair. For the majority of the collection, Yamamoto concentrated on black and white jackets and shirts, with corset shapes built-in boning, and floor-skimming skirts and skinny trousers. It's always interesting to see Yamamoto introduce 'sex' - you can rest assured it's always going to be well-measured and feature at just the right points. Here, he cut his white cotton shirts to draw attention to the décolleté. Leather also made an appearance in two looks - long and short-sleeved jacket options with thigh-grazing minis and on a studded leather cuff and fingerless gloves. Although the one-legged jeweled garter seemed a step to far. The black leather flats with metal toecaps were a clever addition, complimenting a variety of looks. Yamamoto's big story of the season came in the second half of the show - large punched holes, delicate cobweb knits, and fabrics which appeared to have been moth-eaten (by clever moths who know exactly which part of the garment to attack to make their wearer look good). One of the most prevalent trends of the season, Yamamoto's efforts were some of the best seen by far, especially the black cobweb-like long cardigans layered over crisp white cotton, and the delicate floral fabrics that closed the show. There were many indications that the Yamamoto label may be struggling in the current economic climate. As well as showing in-house at the headquarters (resulting in a reduced ticket allocation), the collection seemed decidedly more commercial, free of the conceptual slant Yamamoto has become well-known for.