"100 percent Yohji," announced one T-shirt early in the show, and there were certainly enough billowing jackets and pants (in navy, natch) to back up that statement. Here, they peaked in what would pass for waders if they weren't in linen. But this time around, there was also a whole lot more, as Yohji artfully paid attention to the physical form underneath his signature volumes. One way that he did this was by threading suspenders through jackets, which created a clever "Y" effect across the back. The same motif re-occurred toward the end of the show in T-shirts that enigmatically declared, "YY he is useless" or "YY he is helpless."
Yohji also suggested body contours with tone-on-tone detailing, one of a number of surreally striking effects. One suit arrived in linen so fine it was almost sheer. Another, in olive drab, offered a range of buttoning options down the jacket's side seam, so it could be adjusted to fit. Chain-mail vests were another intriguing addition to the repertoire. They looked bulletproof. Perhaps there was a clue in the soundtrack, where the theme from The Godfather plangently sounded.
