If there’s one throughline in Yohji Yamamoto’s work – besides a penchant for the colour black – it’s his dedication to silhouette and form. Sometimes subtle, sometimes challenging, and always unexpected, this USP has carried his career from the halcyon days of 1980s Paris all the way to the present day. His latest exhibition, ‘Yohji Yamamoto: Letter to the Future’ at 10 Corso Como in Milan (until 31 July 2024), encapsulates the anti-trend approach that makes his garments eternally covetable.
Held inside the concept store’s newly launched gallery space – one of many additions that followed 10 Corso Como’s architectural revamp, which began earlier this year – the display has been curated by the fashion academic Alessio de’ Navasques. Tightly edited, it spans from the A/W 1986 bust-behind tailcoat (famously photographed by Nick Knight) to the latest, sharpened-shoulder A/W 2024 iteration. Opening the show, these two designs face one another (shown below), both inspired by a French costume design technique known as faux cul, or in English, ‘false bottom’. ‘He really likes to see women from the back,’ says de’ Navasques.
