Yohji Yamamoto Mens FW08 - Paris

[laika]

Re: Yohji Yamamoto Mens FW08-09 - Paris

[quote user="the breaks"]

30 different lines, collaborations all over the place, sportswear, sneakers, cheap materials etc. etc. and everything priced like it's made out of solid platinum.

When is it time to recognize greed for what it is?

[/quote]

These claims about unreasonable/inexplicable pricing can be made about
nearly every designer we discuss here. I don't really think it's about
greed when it comes to Ann or Yohji or even these smaller Italian
labels...it may be hard to comprehend in a highly rarefied environment
like SZ, where these designers are central to our universe, but many of
them are still relatively marginal in the world, especially in
comparison to the ruling luxury conglomerates (with whom they have to
compete for retail space, etc.) YY has actually been struggling
financially for many years for exactly this reason, particularly in
Japan. Runner has an excellent post explaining the issues in detail
here.



BTW, i saw yesterday what sounds like the female version of this knit
you are describing. It also comes in black and wheat (beautiful)
and the price is over 2k.[72]

[Avantster]

Re: Yohji Yamamoto Mens FW08-09 - Paris



[quote user="Faust"]I was looking at the lookbook on the subway
today and I remembered my three favorite coats, including the one
pictured, and no one bought them. Strange. I wonder if they were
approaching $4k.[/quote]

You've got the lookbook?[87]

[quote user="laika"]These claims about unreasonable/inexplicable pricing can be made about
nearly every designer we discuss here. I don't really think it's about
greed when it comes to Ann or Yohji or even these smaller Italian
labels...it may be hard to comprehend in a highly rarefied environment
like SZ, where these designers are central to our universe, but many of
them are still relatively marginal in the world, especially in
comparison to the ruling luxury conglomerates (with whom they have to
compete for retail space, etc.) YY has actually been struggling
financially for many years for exactly this reason, particularly in
Japan. Runner has an excellent post explaining the issues in detail
here.



BTW, i saw yesterday what sounds like the female version of this knit
you are describing. It also comes in black and wheat (beautiful)
and the price is over 2k.[72][/quote]

Thanks for bringing a little perspective in here, laika. [51]

[Faust]

Re: Yohji Yamamoto Mens FW08-09 - Paris



Yes, Avantster. Thanks to my friend, who pretended he was going to buy something (well, he still may). He wants this coat with tartan (will post a pic in a minute), which is super-dooper! Check out the back!

[Faust]

Re: Yohji Yamamoto Mens FW08-09 - Paris



Went to Yohji in the meatsmelling district today. Well edited buy. I tried on this jacket - I am in love. It looked as if it was tailored for me - the scarf and all. $2500. Fuck that. Oh, and after seeing the garbage that Jeffrey has - it's very hard to criticize Yohji's stuff compared to most of what's out there.

[Real Real]

Re: Yohji Yamamoto Mens FW08-09 - Paris

[quote user="Faust"]

Yes, Avantster. Thanks to my friend, who pretended he was going to buy something (well, he still may). He wants this coat with tartan (will post a pic in a minute), which is super-dooper! Check out the back!

[/quote]



Yeah, this is awesome - I think Saks has this. Rather than vents, the back has like six pleats, each pleat's inside covered in tartan plaid. Really neat.

[mesh]

Re: Yohji Yamamoto Mens FW08-09 - Paris

[quote user="laika"]
BTW, i saw yesterday what sounds like the female version of this knit you are describing. It also comes in black and wheat (beautiful) and the price is over 2k.[72]

[/quote]

Thank you Laika [51]

oh and Faust [83]

[matthewhk]

Re: Yohji Yamamoto Mens FW08-09 - Paris

[quote user="the breaks"]

30 different lines, collaborations all over the place, sportswear, sneakers, cheap materials etc. etc. and everything priced like it's made out of solid platinum.

When is it time to recognize greed for what it is?

[/quote]

to be honest what you describe in that scenario sounds more like the Comme des Garcons corporation than it does Yohji. Are you a fan of Comme?

[the breaks]

Re: Yohji Yamamoto Mens FW08-09 - Paris

[quote user="matthewhk"][quote user="the breaks"]

30 different lines, collaborations all over the place, sportswear, sneakers, cheap materials etc. etc. and everything priced like it's made out of solid platinum.

When is it time to recognize greed for what it is?

[/quote]

to be honest what you describe in that scenario sounds more like the Comme des Garcons corporation than it does Yohji. Are you a fan of Comme?

[/quote]

Yeah I got that too immediately after I'd posted it. I'd say I like CDG slightly better than YY, yes. I still think Rei's gone too far recently with the Speedos and the H&Ms, though. Is it something to do with Japanese designers in general? Do they all just expand expand expand and never stop to think about their integrity as designers? Or is the desire to grow a huge empire something innate to all designers and these guys have just been just lucky enough to "make it"?

[matthewhk]

Re: Yohji Yamamoto Mens FW08-09 - Paris

well H&M and Speedos, CdG Play ventures aside...the main line is often times charged at a high price relative to the quality of the materials used. I've noticed that Comme is big on using "hard" and "rough" feeling fabrics and shapes, whereas Yohji even in his treatment of peasant materials will somehow refine its presentation through cut, drape, details and design. In comparison, while CdG H+ is slightly cheaper than its YY counterpart, there is less merit I see in the former. Even more so for Junya Watanabe who comes across as a total rip off to me in terms of what he does for men, even though i can appreciate some of it.

[Avantster]

Re: Yohji Yamamoto Mens FW08-09 - Paris

[quote user="Faust"]

Went to Yohji in the meatsmelling district today. Well edited buy. I tried on this jacket - I am in love. It looked as if it was tailored for me - the scarf and all. $2500. Fuck that. Oh, and after seeing the garbage that Jeffrey has - it's very hard to criticize Yohji's stuff compared to most of what's out there.

[/quote]

Looks amazing. I'm really getting into black and navy these days. Wait for the sales, my friend, they always come 'round...[Y]

[Avantster]

Re: Yohji Yamamoto Mens FW08-09 - Paris

[quote user="the breaks"]

Yeah I got that too immediately after I'd posted it. I'd say I like CDG slightly better than YY, yes. I still think Rei's gone too far recently with the Speedos and the H&Ms, though. Is it something to do with Japanese designers in general? Do they all just expand expand expand and never stop to think about their integrity as designers? Or is the desire to grow a huge empire something innate to all designers and these guys have just been just lucky enough to "make it"?

[/quote]

You have to consider that YY and CdG are fairly small in size and market share compared to the other luxury conglomerates. It's times like this I wish I had access to the financials of YY inc. just to confirm how much smaller they really are.

Regardless, to use runner's words, Japanese companies have always been licencees. It's a first for these Japanese companies to become licensers in the world of western clothing. It's not about just building an empire. They are pioneers and are paving the way for the next generation of Japanese designers. The industry of western clothing in Japan is young. It needs this - someone to look up to, someone to inspire their children to think "Hey, if they could do it, I can, too." Someone has to do it.

What Japanese designers of the new generation have widespread international recognition, really? Jun Takahashi? Takahiro Miyashita? Kazuyuki Kumagai? Naoki Takizawa? Now compare them to other contemporary Western designers. Hedi Slimane. Marc Jacobs. Rick Owens. Gareth Pugh. You might say, who cares about recognition. But for the Japanese, it's important. The majority of the youth there all look up to Western luxury labels, and see their local ones as second grade. YY and CdG and doing their small part to balance that out. I respect that.

[redmalva]

Re: Yohji Yamamoto Mens FW08-09 - Paris



I'm been eyeing the flannel cape from Yohji @ A. It's such an amazing piece, but wonder if it's really that wearable everyday. Thought anybody? On LVR, it's listed as a women's piece, so was wondering if anybody knew what the sizing was for a true men's 48?

Thanks.

[soultek]

Re: Yohji Yamamoto Mens FW08-09 - Paris



I tried it on. I think I tried on a 3 and it was fine. A 4 might have been better because there are arm slots, and I felt they should have been lower for me. I'm normally a 52 in regular suits and such and a 4 for Yohji's mainline stuff. The sizing is of course more loose for such a piece. I'd say you'd be okay with a 2 or a 3. One of the beauties of Yohji's pieces is that if you size up above what 'fits' you, it will still look great.

[edit]

oh and I think it could be an everyday piece if you can pull it off at all. You'd be known as "That guy with the cape"

[Purity]

Re: Yohji Yamamoto Mens FW08-09 - Paris

[soultek]

Re: Yohji Yamamoto Mens FW08-09 - Paris

^ [74]