How many ways can you reimagine a peacoat? If you're Yohji Yamamoto, the variations are practically infinite. This was another one of the designer's think pieces, and this time he trained his razor-sharp focus on the single item that may be absolutely recession-proof: the winter coat.
To start, it was long and black, all straight lines to the ankles, save for a jacket overlay on one side; by the end, it was red, poufed up with great swags of fabric in front; in the middle, it came double-breasted in white felt with a gauzy black trail railing behind. Other ideas he tried out included black coats with seams piped in white, and a few more with clouds of red felt fused to a big shoulder or a poufed sleeve.
Of course, it wasn't exclusively about outerwear. A long dress with raw edges made it into the lineup, as did a mannish jumpsuit and a tunic that unzipped at the back to reveal a black heart painted on the model's leg. For the finale, five girls came out together, holding hands, and formed a circle on the center of the runway. They wore five different red coats, each with fuchsia panels inset from collar to hem down the back.
As conceptual as the endeavor might have been, this collection was one of Yamamoto's more wearable, full of fabulous options you don't have to be a fashion intellectual to love. More proof that he's got practicality on his mind: a collaboration with Salvatore Ferragamo that produced the show's flat skimmers in red, white, and black.
