organization:An Exhibition Triptych: Yohji Yamamoto, 2006Dream ShopMoMU- Fashion Museum Province o
organization: An Exhibition Triptych: Yohji Yamamoto, 2006Dream ShopMoMU- Fashion Museum Province of AntwerpPhotograph by Ronald StoopsAntwerp, Belgium 2006Halfway the exhibition Dream Shop a number of clothing racks illustrate six important and recurring themes in Yohji Yamamoto’s work. People are invited to try on a selection of outfits, with the help of the shop assistants.THEME 1: BLACK‘Noir ombre finale et silhouette de tout’Black has several meanings for Yohji. Black is the colour of shadowsBlack is his widowed mother’s colour.Black is the colour of Bunraku theatre(in Bunraku puppets are manipulated by men dressed in black).Black is the mixture of all colours.Black is the colour he has chosen to express himself.All the clothes in this series are black but made out of different fabrics and cut in different shapes. THEME 2: BLACK VERSUS RED l AIRThis series of black dresses is highlighted by the use of vivid red. Red has often been used in his collections as a ‘lipstick trace’, as a pure light in the middle of the darkness. Any colour used in Yohji’s work has to be as strong as black, otherwise there is no point. The dresses in this series are from various collections. They demonstrate how Yohji cuts the clothes to be never too close to the body so that each woman, whether big or small, will wear them differently. The air between the body and the clothes will make them move beautifully.THEME 3: UNIFORMSClothes inspired by uniformsUniforms have always been a great source of inspiration for Yohji and he has often worked on that theme whether referring to school, army or even ecclesiastic uniforms.One of the reason’s behind Yohji’s fascination with uniforms is the fact that they are clothes with a function, conceived in that way and made to last for a long time.They even become a part of the wearer’s identity.They can be as armour, a protection against unwelcome eyesTHEME 4: UNFINISHEDMuslin collection Spring-Summer 2000This collection was based upon the idea of showing the process of making clothes,’ the happiest moment’ for Yohji. Sometimes he finds the final muslin more beautiful than the finished clothes because then the emotions are very perceptible.All garments are made in off white or black fabric showing the construction stitches.This collection was very much inspired by Charles James’s muslin creations he saw during a trip to New York.Muslin is the coarse cotton that designers use to create the first shape of the garment. Everything is still possible at this moment.THEME 5: UNBALANCED I ASYMMETRICALThis theme perfectly expresses the sense of unbalance and asymmetry, also very important to Yohji’s work.He hates perfection because it is the imperfection — the mistakes made by human hands — that creates the beauty of things.This theme is clearly illustrated by the fact that each single piece is different on both sides: different size of sleeve, different wrap on the shoulder, long side versus a shorter one etc. THEME 06: OVERSIZED‘Oversized’ collection Spring-Summer 2001The ideal garment for Yamamoto has no size. He doesn’t like the idea of a perfect fit on the body. Clothes should be different on each person: sometimes too small, often large enough to let the air flow between the body and the garment leaving the imagination free to guess the shape of the body inside. This is what is most charming and sexy according to Yohji.He has been making this type of clothes since the very beginning and he still loves making them. -- source link
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