Runway - Y-3: Fall 2008

As the warning signs of winter start to descend upon San Francisco, that means it’s time to start looking hard at keeping warm (and keeping the rain off our shoulders). But in moments of economic terror, how can we translate affordable basics into something exceptional without it growing dull as the season drags on.

This winter’s Y-3 line took a lot directly from the Yohji Yamamoto runway, but scaled it down to be more wearable and functional. In particular, we saw a few ways to take a very basic jacket and easily make it exceptional yet attainable at any budget.

Essentially there is nothing extraordinary about the coats being worn throughout this post and they are simply taking advantage of the pashmina trend we’ve seen again and again. What we can learn, however, is the method of drape and the use of color and pattern. Through these we see unexpected stimulation created by using the same fabric or color in your scarf as in your jacket. In the plaid version, we see the same lesson we learned in the Yohji Yamamoto line: plaid emphasizes drape.

Lastly, sharp contrasts in colors (here we have white against black against neon) as well as unexpected juxtaposition of geometries (note how the draped piece merge into a square that then contrasts against a loose coat) as further, easy ways to avoid the drudgery of winter outerwear.