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Autumn/Winter 2007
Unsurprisingly for the middle of December (although judging by the rush to buy sweaters and leggings and the like recently, you would think the cold weather was unexpected) I find myself looking to layer up with anything and everything I can get my hands on. Thankfully however my wardrobe is relatively layer-friendly, and contains a good selection of blanket-size kashmiri shawls. As it currently stands my knitwear options are either black...or black, with a single charcoal grey thrown in for good measure. But as Christmas approaches the urge for a "fun" sweater seems almost compulsory, and so I decided to look back over the Autumn/Winter 2007 collection by Yohji Yamamoto, in which he used designs by the late manga artist Shotaro Ishinomori, to vicariously quell that desire.
There is always a certain humour behind Yohji's work, especially in his menswear, which I find incredibly endearing. But I like it when he has more obvious fun with his collections for it invariably results in unexpected but altogether more charming details. Whether it was the colourful manga sweaters or the long felted coats with nude Salomés across the back, there was in this collection something always there to raise a smile. As sober as my colour palette may currently be, or indeed may remain, I think there is always room for something a little fun. Needless to say that element does not necessarily have to be as eye-catching as a manga character, but the small details that make something all the more personal and enjoyable to wear really make hunting down the right garment important for me.
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