Hailed as a dark master of anti-establishment, Yohji Yamamoto is often taken in a gothic, androgynous context – with failure to regard the romantic nuances that grace his garments. In a production featured in A#2, British stylist Jane How and photographer Richard Bush capture this delicate femininity of Yamamoto’s collections – the indefatigable pair framing a serene Ruslana Korshunova in the Palladian-style rooms of Stanmer Park in Brighton, England.
White wooden clogs are the only accessory to compliment Yohji’s garments, allowing the intricate textures and layers of his fabrics to hold their own against Ruslana’s enchanting elvish face and ethereal long blonde hair. With a natural and unassuming elegance, her blonde tresses frame a bare milky shoulder and lead down in a fluid line to Yohji’s wide pleated knit skirt, or cascade down one side as she is seated in an ivory strapless silk gown. Richard captures her hair stirred by the wind, one hand to her chin as she gazes to her feet – wearing a woolen cropped coat and bustled, pleated cotton skirt. The shadows of empty rooms lie behind Ruslana as she stands in the natural light of unseen windows, her expression is serene and knowing, demure and strong – embodying the garments she wears and the history within the walls that surround her.
