Megan and Murray McMillan

Spring 2006 Ready-to-Wear
Junya Watanabe – Runway
See Watanabe’s whole spring collection here.

It’s about time designers started thinking more formally (meaning, relating to or involving outward form or structure) about clothing. One of the identifiers of late 20th century clothing design is its absolute adherence to the silhouette. Gone are the days of artificial definition: of the bustle, the train, poofed sleeves, stove-pipe hats, jodhpurs, and the like. For too long, we’ve been mired in a color-in-the-lines mentality with clothing, the outline of the human form the ultimate dictator of the structure and design of its coverings.

I’m ready for a change, ready to start seeing a postmodern pastiche of shocking and elegant form, combined with modern function. Our world is past the age of restrictive elegance: no one can afford to live a life bound up by the fetters of a beauty that’s content to sit life out. But with the cornucopia of modern materials, and the creativity of well-trained and experimental designers, perhaps we can find a balance of formal innovation and costumes that allow us to live, work, and breathe with ease and style.

Spring 2006 Ready-to-Wear
Yohji Yamamoto – Runway
See Yamamoto’s whole spring collection here.