Initial reaction:

Black and blue all over. As Yohji Yamamoto cast a menacing shadow on his beaten up and broken models (physically and emotionally?), we were confronted with a bleak view of the world. Headlines tell us that darkness abounds. When he sent similarly bruised and wounded figures out into the world for SS13, he was reacting to his company’s own financial crisis. Today, it’s a message that we could all feel in the room. His men were world-weary, with ashen faces and grey hair. Still the clothes they wore indicated there’s a fight left in them yet. And we were grateful that someone is constructing clothing as a form of emotional shelter.

Poetry of the suit:

Nobody tears it up like Yohji. Frayed edges, inverted seams and enlarged proportions might be commonplace today but Yamamoto’s finesse at his own game can’t be beat when it’s as good as this. Against the visibly damaged faces, the clothes were a brilliant counterfoil. This was a beautiful breakdown expressed through the most tactile of layers.

Stand out look:

In a break away from the sombre black and blue hues, velvet marble oversized suiting in autumnal tones provided a lush respite.