The invitation held true to Yohji Yamamoto’s enigmatic style, revealing nothing. It was an orange cardboard envelope adorned with an illustration of samurais battling dragons, containing a single sheet of black paper. Black inside? Perhaps orange is the new black, or maybe it’s just the king of black reiterating, “I won’t trouble you—don’t trouble me.”
Continuing from last season’s theme, his models were clad in full-length sheath dresses and trousers that expanded into wide pleats, resembling full skirts. The jackets, with their soft lapels, draped sensually around the body. Yamamoto, who in 1977 envisioned women donning men’s attire, now seems to push boundaries further, encouraging men to embrace traditionally feminine forms. A standout feature was the ultra-fluid jackets worn off the shoulder, cinched at the waist so that the spare sleeve elegantly draped down the center back of the shirt. It was a simple yet incredibly effective design.
The prints were a fusion of Japanese text and portraits of Yamamoto, including one with his face and a single tear. The peak of gender fluidity was evident in the sheer appliqué long-sleeve tops paired with loose, flowing robes underneath.
The final segment was marked by an unexpected burst of John Lennon’s classic, “Imagine,” with its hopeful lyrics, “You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. I hope someday you’ll join us, and the world will live as one.” This perfectly encapsulated the collection — timeless, genderless, aspirational.