It’s impossible to look back at the nose-dived Mercedes from the previous Ambush collection photos and not see some sort of metaphor for this year. On a Zoom call from Tokyo, Yoon Ahn said she didn’t intend for the statement to register so dark, simply that it captured the idea of “being forced to stop.”
So what was the statement she set out to make this season? Unsurprisingly, one of comfort and ease. But Ahn is not the type to veer too casual, and she made a point to propose looks that were at once relaxed and ready to wear out in the world. “The last thing you should be concerned about right now is how uncomfortable you feel,” she said. And since how we feel in our clothes is so linked to fabric, she focused on breathable linen, soft wool, and natural-looking denim featuring tactical pockets or assembled as patchwork. “It’s like a quilted blanket but defined in a denim way,” she said of the latter. “I wanted materials that get better with time.”
Of course, feeling comfortable is also contingent on fit. Neither cardigan nor jacket, the pieces that tied in front or at the side looked polished without being constricting. Pants were wide yet dimensional rather than shapeless. Knits, as a counterpoint, were clingy and contouring in the manner of Alaïa. “They hold their shape; we call them second skin,” said Ahn. One particularly dynamic dress in Japanese paper yarn twisted around the body like a slanket reimagined as a sexy two-piece ensemble.
While pillowy clutch bags worn like sleeves vaguely hinted at how we have been passing these last few months, jewelry responded to a desire for dressing up. Dyed natural quartz evoked rubies, emeralds, and sapphires in glossy gold settings. Ahn liked the idea of precious heirlooms “done in an Ambush way.” There was something to this collection that felt both of-the-moment and more enduring than her previous endeavors—a desirable comfort zone.
