NYLON - August 2008 - (Page 82) COMING TO AMERICA AVANT-GARDE DESIGNER YOHJI YAMAMOTO HAS DONE IT AGAIN WITH A NEW LINE THAT IS UNCONVENTIONAL, YET PERFECTLY WEARABLE. BY CATHERINE ZAMBRANO. PHOTOGRAPHED BY JORGE CAMAROTTI We may admire runway images of Yohji Yamamoto’s artistically exaggerated silhouettes and rumpled romantic style, but let’s admit it—some of those looks are hard to pull off in the real world. Luckily, over the past five years Yamamoto has begun to acknowledge this fact, and gave us the sportswear line Y-3 and now what’s possibly his most wearable label, Coming Soon. Executed in a strict palette of black, white, khaki, olive, and navy (plus one amazing floral-print shirt) the 200-piece collection has something for everyone. Our favorites are the boyfriend jeans in Japanese selvage denim cut long enough that you can create a thick six-inch cuff, the sharply tailored reversible wool jackets, a navy peacoat with an oversized collar, the utilitarian button-ups with subtle details (such as printed patchwork and different colored plackets and collars), and the butter-soft jersey sweatshirts. Yamamoto still brings his signature volume by adding oversized pants in wrinkly silks and velvet, and he drops crotches even lower for his “skirt-pants.” And, to top the line off, he has also created an array of must-have accessories: necklaces with coin pendants, black silk ties, canvas sneakers with off-white soles, and a printed scarf that is likely to become 2008’s version of Alexander McQueen’s coveted skull-dotted stole. Each collection will be accompanied by a short video, and for this season YouTube and Daily Motion will carry the first installment. Directed by Max Vadukul—whom Yamamoto discovered in 1984—it features a male and female duo racing through the streets and alleys of London, exemplifying one of the inspirations for the line: urban life. Never predictable, the spotlight-shy Yamamoto will make Coming Soon a little tricky for people to find because it will be stripped of his name all together. Instead, the brand is relying on the clothes to speak for themselves—which shouldn’t be hard— and a discreet circle logo on each item, which will be recognized only by those in-the-know (like you). stylist: katharine erwin for katharineerwin.com. hair and makeup: min min ma for nars cosmetics and workgroup-ltd.com. model: janaina at new york models. shirt, jeans, and shoes all by coming soon by yohji yamamoto. http://workgroup-ltd.com http://katharineerwin.com
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