Designer spotlight: Yohji Yamamoto

Until recently I knew nothing about Japanese designer Yohji Yamamoto; in fact, I am not sure I had even heard of him. Now I think I am a little bit in love, and I have Paola Di Trocchoi to thank for it.

Di Trocchoi is Assistant Curator of International Fashion and Textiles at the National Gallery of Victoria here in Melbourne, and has put together a delightfully intimate exhibition Dior and Yamamoto: the New Look currently showing at the NGV International. In March I attended a floor talk by Di Trocchoi, scheduled to coincide with this year's L'Oreal  Melbourne Fashion Festival. As outlined in her essay accompanying the exhibition, both Yamatoto and  Dior influenced fashion, forever changing the way Western women dress.

  
I was drawn to the exhibition by the promise of an up close look at authentic Dior couture, and was charmed to discover Yamamoto's Jacket and Skirt, an hommage to Dior's Bar Suit. In Yamamoto's hands, the iconic silhouette is de-constructed and pieced back together using patchwork panels and exposed seams.
   At first glance the jacket is modest and demure. Closer inspection reveals exquisite tailoring and carefully considered asymmetry.  

The skirt looks more like vintage underwear than modern outerwear.

Jacket and Skirt was part of Yamamoto's 1999 Spring/Summer collection.

The exhibition also showcases Yamamoto's earlier work, with garments including a black dress from his 1983 Spring/Summer show, and an oversized cocoon coat (which  I hope to replicate for spring 2013).

The exhibition is rounded out with photos and footage of both designers' work, along with fashion sketches by Parisian designer Jaques Heim, a contemporary of Dior.

The exhibition runs until 28 July, and entry is free.

For a look at Yamamoto's current collection, pop over to Style.com.