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Facial hair has been as much a trend as trousers on men’s catwalks over the last few years, and proving he is master of art, Yohji Yamamoto separated the men from the boys with all out Tarantino white moustaches and karate king beards. As ever, there was a lot going on with the clothes, and every stride the models took revealed hidden depths, layers and concepts. His Japanese style skirts draped over trousers were fantastically masculine, and worn with broad, double breasted suit jackets that bordered on the zoot. Hefty ribbed cardigans that hung below the knee cemented the thunderous masculinity, but there was softness too, in draping, texture and sense of humour. Never bowing to a trend, and never needing to, there was just one nod to the season’s check fascination in a red and white suit that was loud enough to make its point. Yamamoto concentrated instead on pinstripe, leopard print and zebra print. With the comedy facial hair and oversized zoot suits and ties, the baby faced boys looked a bit like characters from Bugsy Malone. Only a designer with his level of experience and strength of identity can play so freely with a collection, and mix humour with real fashion sense, subtly.
Text: Sarah Raphael
Photography: Mitchell Sams
