Y's. Resort 2021 - Paris

                                                    (Images Y's. All credit)

Y's was Yohji Yamamoto's first brand and original collection that dates back to 1977, later separating into the renown signature label, with its seasonal women's  and men's arrays.  Y's was always devised purely as a limited feminine collection or in Yamamoto's objective; men's styles for women.  Yet in 2009 it filed for bankruptcy protection, narrowly coming out of the 2008 credit crisis unscathed, with Yamamoto personally refinancing his iconic brand thus keeping it alive, he has remained ardent that the original idea of Y's stays focused in its feminine appeal.  Designed and produced in Japan from a collective of young designers, mostly post graduates, under Yamamoto's watchful eye.  Y's has been consistently, since 2016, releasing a variety of styles, that after 2018, Yamamoto removed his namesake from the label, returning the brand back to its sculptured and more defined roots. 

For Y's Resort 2021 collection, the sophistication of the cleaner and more functional styles are clearly on show, as is the avant-garde reemergence that maybe a trend forming for 2020, that being the asymmetrical cuts and linen draped styles.  Which has been jostling with the tailored, suiting styles of 2019 and 2020.  However, Y's latest take on its modernist approach to fashion is unwavering, revealing some its most distinct and forthright styles to date.  With the Japanese tie-dye influenced looks and pattern work that pays homage to the traditional Shibori dyeing process, Y's pre and post quarantine styles have maintained its more darker and Gothic edge, particularly for a Resort showing. 

Set as a complete lookbook affair, which is understandable with the Covid-19 restrictions and quarantines that have occurred globally. Y's, after 5 years returned with one runway show in June 2019, but with fashion weeks been reduced to a digital only presentation since the viral outbreak, as mentioned in my previous 2021 reviews, September is tentatively penciled in for the return of runway shows.  But with the messy and uncoordinated openings throughout the interconnected world, the second wave of the virus maybe about to descend upon us all.  The once familiar runway presentation of yesterday, unless released as a studio setting with guests and models holding up negative results via Covid-19 tests, may end up being pushed back further into 2021.  But for now, the lookbooks will remain as an indefinite fixture.