Originally posted by Yahoo! News@ Mon Oct 6, 5:10 PM ET
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Yamamoto Provides Antidote to Skimpy Summer Wear
By Joelle Diderich
PARIS (Reuters) - To the scores of pale and interesting fashion editors who dread the thought of baring flesh next summer, the demure creations Japanese designer Yohji Yamamoto showed on Monday were a godsend.
Slouchy cardigans with overlong sleeves and liquid satin separates formed the backbone of his secondary line Y's, previewed two days before Paris fashion week kicks off in earnest with shows by Christian Dior and Rochas.
After the skimpy creations presented by Italian designers such as Donatella Versace at the weekend, Yamamoto's camouflage aesthetic came almost as a shock to the system.
An oversized black knit sweater was thrown together with a baggy taupe skirt that turned out, on close inspection, to be a sweater worn upside down by using the sleeves as legs.
There were brilliant flashes of color, such as a crimson satin camisole and three-quarter length trousers worn with an asymetrical black apron skirt with aqua patchwork appliques.
But mostly Yamamoto stuck to a muted planette of stone, cream and ink black, which came in dour contrast to the tropical colors and hothouse prints that have flooded the spring-summer collections in New York, London and Milan.
Their hair crimped and crinkled as if they had stuck a finger into an electrical socket, pale-skinned models ambled through the Museum of Modern Art in distressed duster coats and spotless white leather desert boots.
These androgynous creatures were at their finest when playing with masculine codes, like pairing a white satin shirt with a slim black tie, men's suspenders and a floor-length black pleated skirt that split open to reveal matching shorts.
"Don't touch," read the letters sewn onto a baggy white satin shirt, though the message seemed superfluous on these sexually ambiguous clothes.
It was typical of Yamamoto's literary approach to women, which has made him a favorite with artists and intellectuals.
"It was very feminine," enthused Austrian director Michael Haneke, famous for disturbing art house films like "The Piano Teacher" and "Funny Games."
"It's hard to tell because all the girls are so pretty, but I wouldn't say these fashions don't look sexy. They looked very sexy to me!" he said with a laugh.