Yohji Yamamoto’s Spring/Summer 2026 show in Paris made black once again the starting point and the entire vocabulary through which everything else was expressed. The collection was built from a series of layered constructions that shifted gently between the architectural and the fluid, revealing the quiet precision that has always defined Yamamoto’s work.
The silhouettes were long and sculptural, often built from overlapping panels of matte black fabric that twisted and folded around the body. Some pieces opened to reveal softer interiors, while others seemed almost carved into shape, held together by tension rather than seam. Only a handful of looks broke from the black, marked by loose white brushstrokes across the surface, as if to remind the audience of the human hand behind the discipline.
Midway through the show, two looks appeared as a tribute to the late Giorgio Armani. The gesture felt less nostalgic than respectful, one designer quietly honoring another who devoted his life to perfecting a language of elegance and restraint.
As the show moved toward its conclusion, Yamamoto introduced black garments accented with deep red, coats and dresses where the color appeared like an internal pulse, vivid but contained. It brought warmth to the collection’s rigor, a final shift that felt emotional without ever losing control.
Yamamoto’s work resists easy interpretation because it doesn’t need one. The beauty of his clothes lies in their construction, the way fabric becomes form through patience and precision. Spring/Summer 2026 was a reminder that his approach to fashion remains as focused as ever, thoughtful, deliberate, and entirely his own.
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Highlights from the Collection
