Yohji @ V&A

Early last semester Ligaya Salazar, the curator of the Yohji Yamamoto exhibition at the V&A, had the courtesy to come and talk to us in one of our classes (I am an MA student at the London College of Fashion's History and Culture of Fashion course) and tell us all about the exhibition beforehand. I finally had the chance to visit the exhibition last Wednesday. Since not all visitors are fashion aficionados, video footage and collection catalogs from Yamamoto's fashion shows, films and performances spread across one big wall, helped understand the designer's background, inspiration and techniques. After all Yamamoto became famous for breaking the rules of fashion and using unconventional materials and processes in his collections. The rest of the exhibition showcases unique pieces of his menswear and womenswear starting from the 1980s up to this day, including some pieces designed by Yamamoto for Hermés and a sample of his first footwear for Y-3. Though black is a fundamental color to the designer, an element present in all his collections throughout his career, splashes of vibrant colors were also included in the exhibition, such as a canary yellow strapless dress with a larger-than-life hat in the same hue that resembled a flower, and a crimson one-shoulder, pleated dress that could have been couture in Ancient Greece. In any case, to me the exhibition was so interesting that I wish it was a bit bigger and not just one room. Totally worth going to, but hurry since it runs at the V&A until July 10 2011. (Photo: Nick Knight, Art Direction Peter Saville / Courtesy of the V&A)
 

(All pictures courtesy of the V&A)