Y-3 Escapes to New York During Fashion Week

Y-3 hits the road for Autumn/Winter 2011 with a collection inspired by the nature of escape—on horseback, on foot, and into the hills. Fittingly, the show presented clothing designed for a journey, combining classic materials and silhouettes with futuristic and protective details like waterproof zippers, neoprene insets, holographic toggles, and ergonomic quilting. Shown in New York’s Soho district on Sunday, February 13, 2011, as part of New York fashion week, the collection debuted on a set constructed to resemble a dusty trail, further underscoring the season’s back-to-nature message.

The collection explored variations on a theme of escape and was inspired by books, such as Jack Kerouac’s “On the Road” and Jon Krakauer’s “Into the Wild.” This meant protection first and foremost, realized in exaggerated funnel-neck collars; simple modularity; voluminous, cocoon-like silhouettes; and intensive quilting on everything from hoods to coats to leggings. In classic Yohji Yamamoto fashion, prints and patches on select garments spelled out the collection’s theme, stating phrases like “Nowhere in Particular,” “Homeward Bound,” and “I’m on the Road.”

Ultimately, the show was about the journey not the destination, and the clothing was designed with this in mind. Y-3 for men followed a similar trajectory, showing army parkas, striped union suits, quilted work jackets in suede and wool, and cotton leggings inset with panels of Fair Isle knits.

Y-3 presented two new breakthrough fabrics: Cool Max Wool, breathable wool with an evaporative cooling system, and Diaplex, a wool herringbone bonded to Goretex that molds itself to the body, becoming like a second skin.

On the accessories front, Y-3 underscored the collection’s themes of warmth and comfort, showing oversize hooded scarves, quilted nylon hats, and gloves belted with three pieces of leather—a subtle play on the three-stripes tradition. Shoes for men and women combined the technical expertise of Adidas with classical shapes and materials, like a Japanese warrior boot with a cutout sole for men, and an “origami” wedge heel for women.

“Traveling means coming back home,” Yamamoto explained backstage of the show’s inspiration. “We are always unconsciously wanting to come back. It is one of man’s strongest desires.”

See the runway shots here.

Text Courtesy Image.net.

Category › Japanese designers , Y-3 , Yohji Yamamoto

COMING SOON is the first contemporary brand without the name of the designer mentioned. It is a brand created for a generation of women and men who wear what they like without stating who designed it.

These individual looks that combined Japanese style DNA with an Italian vestibility are timeless, casual wear pieces made with perfect construction and sophisticated simplistic details. One of the signs of COMING SOON is the dot logo on the label that is directly embroidered on the clothing making it visible on the outfit’s exterior.

For its sixth collection, Spring-Summer 2011, the COMING SOON catalogue itself strengthens the idea of the “Coming Sooners”, a gang of real people agreeing with COMING SOON’s philosophy; thus the Spring-Summer look book features an artistic family made of journalists, art directors, or editors, as the first chapter of this new tribe’s story.

This season, COMING SOON went back to the roots of the brand. It asserts its style through natural fabrics and a soft scale of colors: on a base of black and white is developed a palette of beige, greige, autumnal shades and different tones of blue (from light to royal and navy), enlighted with touches of pure red.

Both men and women can enjoy a large range of accessories, from the 72-hour bowling bag or the ideal daily tote bag coming with its matched Japanese clutch, to the polka dot bicolor scarf bringing back the dot logo on the foreground.

Men’s side is playing around the perfect masculine wardrobe. Classic suits worn with trilby hats and scarves seem to have a British accent, which one can also find in the Prince-of-Wales prints. The reversible vest—now a COMING SOON classic—that matches a casual shirt and used jeans, could be the ideal uniform for a poet, who would also wear his white shirt outside with his striped suit and would not hesitate to counterbalance the smartness of his jacket with dot logo t-shirts or sneakers.

This sixth collection is like a game with classic codes, a complex simplicity, a succession of soft suggestions never taken literally but always with a twist. A game of hide-and-seek leading to a subtle balance: eventually the essence of COMING SOON.

View the entire collection here.

Photos & text Copyright Yohji Yamamoto.

Category › Japanese designers , press release , Yohji Yamamoto

Day 4 Rap-Up: Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, New York

is ready to rock, taking inspiration from the icons of music history for an explosive collection of hard-core looks. From lambskin leather motorcycle vests to tailored military jackets, Y-3’s
Spring/Summer 2011 show took a tour through three decades of rock style, sending a model army of Janis Joplins, Elvis Presleys, and Jimi Hendrixes out onto the runway.

Presented on Sunday, September 12th as part of New York fashion week, the collection explored the power and escapism of rock and roll, a theme that was underscored with a live sound track courtesy of British band The Duke Spirit

The collection, presented for the third season at the Park Avenue Armory, highlighted a contemporary take on classic rock silhouettes, from the hot-and-heavy leather looks of the ’60s, to the psychedelic prints of the ’70s, to the eccentric, edgy styles of the ’80s.

Military jackets in metallic cotton sateen evoked the devil-may-care attitude of Jimi Hendrix. Velour suits in ochre green recalled the slouchy style of Janis Joplin. And highly-tailored jackets for men looked pulled from the wardrobe of the King, Elvis Presley.

Rock music and sex appeal go hand in hand, and neither was in short supply. Y-3 proposed cropped tanks for both men and women, and, for the girls […]. The rest of the show presented intriguing contrasts of volume—tight on top, loose on bottom, and vice versa—in classic Yamamoto fashion. Y-3 also tapped Yoko Ono—another icon of music—for a selection of coats and T-shirts printed with the artist’s text pieces, like “Open Your Eyes, Open Your Door, Open Your Legs, Open Your Sides, OpenYour Heart, Open Your Mouth.”

On the footwear front, Y-3 keeps innovating. The lightweight new Kubo shoe for men and women boasts a fully foldable sole and feels a bit like walking on air. Other footwear featured reflective threading and treatments, making for an eye-catching new look. Like all things Y-3, they combine breakthrough technology with tradition and elegance.

Despite his love of hard rock, Y-3 designer Yohji Yamamoto was absent from the presentation, staying in Tokyo instead to complete his femme collection, which will be shown in Paris in October. “I’m a rocker at heart,” the designer said, “but work must come first. See you all in Paris!”

Because of copyright laws, you may view the collection on my main website where right click is disabled.

Category › Japanese designers , press release , Yohji Yamamoto