A Yohji show these days can stop you in your tracks. Not so much because he shocks you—he's not an out-with-the-old, in-with-the-new kind of guy—but because of his wistful score and the models' stately pace. You could call them old-fashioned, but they encourage the eye to relax, which isn't so easy after 20-something days of nonstop fashion. Those who did settle into the mood were well rewarded by a collection that didn't necessarily break ground, but was lovely in a quiet, almost meditative way.
The show was essentially divided into two sections. First came the black suits, some shown with arabesques of white topstitching, all cut with an eye for the graceful asymmetries that Yamamoto is famous for. Jackets with uneven lapels and tails, or misbuttoned to create a ruffle undulation on one side, were worn above narrow pants or long, full skirts. The ivory dresses that came next followed the same principle: They were pieced together from irregularly shaped swatches of white and cream fabrics and fell slightly away from the body. The bride, typically the last look, padded out in a grand picture hat and a big hoop skirt. This time she was followed by four more models, all—like the girls who preceded them—wearing sunglasses, and each in a different variation of a soft navy coat. On a day when the Dow plummeted 777 points, the Zen-chant repetition had a calming effect that even a crowd perpetually chasing the next new thing could appreciate.
