The final look at Yohji Yamamoto was a black T-shirt printed repeatedly with the phrase "This is me," paired with a skirt that looked like it might have been fashioned from a clear yellow pool raft. The message was somewhat obscure. Was the iconic designer, for whom business has been a tough slog this year, making a joke about keeping his head above water?
The show had started off more solemnly, with Yamamoto s signature deconstructed Edwardiana in all black with a hint of ragamuffin. Models had near-Kabuki white faces and matted hair. There was something funereal about their pace in clomping combat boots. When suddenly the music turned to funky guitar, flashes of a psychedelic print appeared in high-top sneakers, leggings, and inside the waistband of a paper-bag pleated skirt. Yamamoto flipped back and forth a few times, alternating "Ave Maria" with "Purple Haze." In one rocker moment, a panel of that eye-popping print extended from a dress and wrapped around the shoulders like a priest s vestment. Another look recalled Madonna, with punky leggings under a shredded skirt with a black bustier and rosary. The religious undertone made sense if you were aware that the designer was paying homage to Jimi Hendrix, a rock god deserving of a temple.
Today s outing may not have scaled the heights of sheer beauty and emotional resonance that Yamamoto is capable of reaching, but the designer s defiant individuality is still intact. Perhaps that was what he was getting at with the slogan tee.
