Yohji, Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love The Looser Fit (Yohji Yamamoto Thread)

[PregnantBob]

I got all happy with a presentation today that got the company a sealed deal... felt proud and decided to reward myself. Went to Joyce in Shanghai cause I know Joyce in Hong Kong stocks Yohji.

Nope. Nothing. NOOOOOTHING!

I don't think anyone in Shanghai stocks Yohji.

Bought a Damir shirt instead.

Felt like I went to a bar, saw the girl of my dreams.... but went home with the drunk chick... *sigh*

 

[impolyt_one]



red wings x y's and george cox x y's someone got more info on those?

Are you sure they are George Cox? I had a pair in like 42 or 43 and threw them away, actually. They just didn't make my big overseas move. I always thought they were Solovair-made, or whoever did Doc Martens around that time; the imprint inside and the rubber welt was much like what Dr Martens used. They had big Riri M8 zippers on them an a crepe sole. Toebox was way bulbous and I guess the ones in your pics have been smashed down a lot.

 

[951socal]



you prefer the way his clothes look on taller guys

hmm, that might be it.
When i tried on some of his looks at the boutique in japan (shibuya iirc?)

being 5'6" and japanese
it just didn't work out.

and all of the look books at the time featured taller men in the 5'8"+ that were mostly Caucasian so i got the impression that it was more suited for a certain audience. I ended up paying more than i should have for levis and various graphic tee shirts from america rather than buying yohji

 

[asobu]



God this looks so good!

Atelier's prepping their AW12-13 buy and posted a few photos on their blog. Looks like they are definitely getting the cape then. Has that much time already passed? Feels like we only started picking up the SS12 items.
This cape looks better and better the more I see it.

This! I'm really curious to see this in person, I feel the "regular" pants/jackets/shirts is easy enough to get a grasp on seeing online since I've seen so many of them in person but this is something I'd need to try on just to see how it works. I tried the sleeved (one sleeve) shawl cape from AW10 back when it retailed, the japan exclusive one in boiled wool was insane. So good and wearable. I haven't seen it since, I think it sold out immediately. Even the patchwork one (shown on the runway) has pretty much been completely absent from any auction site since.


Between Ivwri and this, I'm starting to consider the plush cotton for hakamas (and not just gabardine):

looks so great here. I wonder what cut this is? I wish I could get this length, the Type 2 ones (L10) I tried on were shorter on me even in size 4.

 

[Parker]

^ those hakama pants in motion are fantastic.

thank you to whomever enabled the army cap purchase. I love it. the color is better in person than on the site, too.

 

[Ivwri]

That was me (and a few others) .

Glad you picked it up! Can't wait for mine to arrive.

That picture is really nice asobu gonna wear that exact outfit to church tomorrow cos of that. For the hakamas, the cotton ones are also higher up on me than in that photo. All I do is wear them lower than normal and they seem to work out okay. You may have also tangentially enabled a guidi boot purchase that I had given up on, but seeing the boots in that pic is making me think that the one's I have been eyeing may be worth the purchase after all...hmm.

 

[Ivwri]

Will put up standalone shots of the long shirt and pants , along with detail shots later on today. Headed out now.

 

[Ivwri]

Spring/Summer 2011-2012 Long shirt
Product code: HO-B31-980
Fabric composition: 100% cotton

Spoiler: Details and extra shots

This piece was really not what I expected when I picked it up off wire earlier on this year (wire got the wool gabardine one and decided he could let it go). It was one of my grails from the Spring 2011 collection so I am very happy I now have it in my wardrobe. The woven cotton fabric was something that caught me off guard completely as I expected it to look more like a typical cotton shirt material and have a similar hand as well. When I saw that it literally looked like a giant Spring weight cardigan or something similar I thought I would have to start searching for the wool gabardine iteration. Fortunately, it is not as warm as it looks (being closer in warmth to that of a knitted cotton/cotton pique polo shirt) with the woven cotton giving the whole piece a nice weight that lets it drape beautifully and catch the wind dramatically when in motion. The collar is great so I always wear it buttoned up all the way to show it off as I expect it was designed to be, heh.

There two pockets that are hidden from view and I tried to show one in the pictures. Even with the pockets full (I have dumped a very full wallet, keys and my card case which has about 3-4 inches worth of cards in it and it did not spoil the general silhouette of the shirt at all. The bulge shows of course, but because of how generous the pockets are the whole is still very pleasant.

It's a great piece and just gives one a dramatic silhouette without even having to try hard. I generally wear it with at most four or five buttons done, leaving the rest open to allow it to move around more, but I am sure it should be possible to fasten all the buttons and then layered on top off in colder weather. Would be nice to try that out actually.

I got mine in a size 3 and it fits perfectly.

 

[951socal]

looks lik it's super fragile and will develop holes if you're nor careful

or is it just made to look that way?

 

[davidlee388]

Ivwri, that SS11 " Priest " shirt does look superb on you. I know you guys were discussing earlier whether Yohji clothing is height specific ( he does use mainly tall models with a few exceptions ), this shirt does illustrate you need to be above a certain height to pull this off, being 135cm in length. I am 1.68m tall, slightly taller than Yohji-San himself, and will struggle big time with this shirt even in sz 2 ( my ideal size for most things Yohji ) even if I have a top half of a body builder ( which I don't .... ) because it will literally hit my shoes. However I do believe being short is not a deal breaker in pulling off Yohji.

What I do find satisfying being a die-hard " short " Yohji fan is I have to think carefully what will work and what won't in compiling my wardrobe. I do have the luxury of handling and trying on recent stuff in Manchester and London but the bulk of my collection is from older seasons and is acquired untried from auctions so the satisfaction is immense when I've guessed it right based on auction pictures and measurements.

Going back to what I said earlier that sz 2 is ideal for me, about 1 in 5 blazers and half of the pants I have are in sz 3 however....all depends on the season and the cut.

Embrace the oversizeness of Yohji!

 

[Ivwri]



looks lik it's super fragile and will develop holes if you're nor careful
or is it just made to look that way?

Hmm, well it doesn't strike me as exceptionally fragile, but because it is woven it will catch on sharp objects I imagine. This is where the wool gabardine iteration will probably be longer lasting, but I am not too bothered by a few holes here and there generally . It's been okay so far though and I don't baby my clothing much.

Ivwri, that SS11 " Priest " shirt does look superb on you. I know you guys were discussing earlier whether Yohji clothing is height specific ( he does use mainly tall models with a few exceptions ), this shirt does illustrate you need to be above a certain height to pull this off, being 135cm in length. I am 1.68m tall, slightly taller than Yohji-San himself, and will struggle big time with this shirt even in sz 2 ( my ideal size for most things Yohji ) even if I have a top half of a body builder ( which I don't .... ) because it will literally hit my shoes. However I do believe being short is not a deal breaker in pulling off Yohji.
What I do find satisfying being a die-hard " short " Yohji fan is I have to think carefully what will work and what won't in compiling my wardrobe. I do have the luxury of handling and trying on recent stuff in Manchester and London but the bulk of my collection is from older seasons and is acquired untried from auctions so the satisfaction is immense when I've guessed it right based on auction pictures and measurements.
Going back to what I said earlier that sz 2 is ideal for me, about 1 in 5 blazers and half of the pants I have are in sz 3 however....all depends on the season and the cut.
Embrace the oversizeness of Yohji!

Yeah I agree that this shirt will probably not work for people below a certain height. Having said that, I think one of the barriers for a lot of people is that they find it a bit difficult to embrace that oversized look. There's a very fine line between looking like you are just wearing clothes that are bigger than you and looking like you belong in stuff that fits like that. A lot of that I feel has to do with attitude, specifically nonchalance. And of course, like you said choosing the right pieces for one's frame.

 

[Parker]

yeah, as asobu and others have mentioned, length is probably the most important consideration to get the style right, although shoulders should be not too wide for short guys. One thing that has struck me after looking at lots of Yohji stuff recently is that his silhouettes aren't really meant to follow the body shape at all, but are cut to be designs on their own terms. Usually with tailored clothing, you would have something made or altered to adhere to an individual body or maybe even "enhance" certain elements of a physique. Seems like Yohji's stuff (and many other designers) is meant to keep its own shape and not reference the body that much. The looser or "oversized" fit keeps the body disguised in a way and lets the design be the hero. also apropos of this discussion... a brief musical interlude. check out the guy toasting with maracas in bkgd.

Spoiler: Warning: 90s!

[VIDEO][/VIDEO]
"don't need no skintights in my wardbrobe today / fold them all up and put them away"

 

[davidlee388]

Well we all have our definition of what fits and what doesn't. For me I have absolutely no problem with any oversized pants, wide shoulders, roomy chest and occasionally long length of certain pieces, however I have a big thing about sleeves ( as Asobu will confirm ). I cannot put up with sleeves that are too short ( rarely on Yohji ) or way too long ( unless they can be folded, buttonless sleeves for example ). So sleeves that way pass the knuckles give me an overall feeling that the blazer/coat doesn't " belong " to me; they will bother me that much that I will tailor them to " fit " me more. So sleeves are a deal breaker for me.....

 

[davidlee388]

Well I finally figured out how to load pictures.

As Ivwri suggested we should try to share how Yohji ( Runway or not Runway ) pieces look on us irl rather than on Runway models.

AW07 Look 2 Knit Coat I snatched from Wire before he sold it to someone else. Size 4 (!) but fits like a size 3....think juuust manage to pull it off even it fits longer on me ( length 117cm ) compared to the Runway. Incredible construction and it's warm.

 

[Ivwri]



Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

Well I finally figured out how to load pictures.

As Ivwri suggested we should try to share how Yohji ( Runway or not Runway ) pieces look on us irl rather than on Runway models.

AW07 Look 2 Knit Coat I snatched from Wire before he sold it to someone else. Size 4 (!) but fits like a size 3....think juuust manage to pull it off even it fits longer on me ( length 117cm ) compared to the Runway. Incredible construction and it's warm. 

So it was you who got it in the end!! Lol. Looks great on you. Damn, I am regretting not going through with it now. I really love the pattern. What boots are those?