The unprepossessing bunker that is the show venue at Bercy was the site of the Yohji Yamamoto runway presentation this evening. Yet this back-to-basics place, with its simple lines of wooden chairs arranged in a square, turned out to be the launch pad for a fashion show that was really something special. Yamamoto honed in on what it really means to produce fashion today, away from pyrotechnics and with a focus on the real spectacle of exceptional clothes. 
As Yamamoto said backstage after his show: "I am a dressmaker; I am not a fashion designer. From 10 to 15 years ago the fashion market became shit." Yes, that was "shit." He made a point of clarifying that before continuing. "My role is to get the value of clothing back for everyone: cutting, draping, tailoring. There was no real theme to the collection, I just wanted to make dresses, to tailor and enjoy the value of clothing."