Gothic Gumshoes at Yohji Yamamoto SS24
Yohji Yamamoto's Spring/Summer 2024 collection looks like it comprises the wardrobe of an imagined detective who solves crimes within a dystopian gothic fantasy landscape à la Bloodborne. And I mean that as a compliment.
I'm a big fan of Yamamoto's work. They don't call this guy "the master" for nothing: he's done it all and been doing it since way before any of these young whippersnappers ever tried to concoct a collection of all-black clothing.
Perhaps unusually for a big Yamamoto fan, I love his recent work. I think the big Yamamoto fans really adore his old stuff, though they'll begrudgingly accept the positives within his newer output, but I think the new stuff is great.
The quality is sharp, the finishing strong, the fabrics delightful, and the cuts are typically quite excellent, occasional slimmer-fitting pants aside.
Yohji Yamamoto Pour Homme SS24 is quintessential contemporary Yohji. Classic clothes aplenty — black wool gabardine blazers and slacks are in ample supply — accented by a surplus of off-kilter items that explore the weirder side of new Yohji.
For instance, Yamamoto's inclination toward high-vis illustrations and graphic prints is well-documented by his international stockists, who perpetually select all-over printed shirts and coats to accent the simpler stuff.
SS24 delivers another abundance of illustrated goods, which is well and good, but I'm particularly pleased to see Yamamoto dive into vivid patterns, like the new season stripes, checks, and gingham, though I fear that the added prints are only gonna bring the price up that much higher (and as expensive as Yohji's wares are in Japan, they're doubly pricey in America).
Still, Yamamoto's silhouettes are perpetually on point, his fabric selections remain sumptuous, and the dramatic layering is intact. Only the true Yohji high-rollers will procure the frilled bits or the clothespin-studded layers but that's who they're there for.
For the rest of us, imminently wearable clothes occasionally rendered in delectably textured textiles. Very nice.
