Orient in the mirror: What makes us interpret Orientalism in a different way
Orientalism is many designers’ inspiration in the 20th century. Orientalism is a term used by westerners to describe designers’ use of exotic stylistic conventions from Asia cultures (Mears 2010). However, as the debut of Japanese fashion designers in Paris in the 1980s, it seemed that Japanese image on the Orient was different from westerners always had. The 20th century visual style of the Orient was constructed by literature, theatre and art (see Fig.1), but these elements seemed not to be the key factors to show a true image of Orient. Two designers inspired by Orientalism could show the difference of interpretation of Orientalism – Yves Saint Laurent and Yohji Yamamoto. Both regarded as Avant-Garde designers, the former is famous for his interpretation of Orientalism, while the latter is famous for his deconstruction of Orientalism. Comparison will be made on their collection’s colour, motif and form to show the difference in the image of Orientalism. In the end, the differentiation of image of Orientalism between the east and the west will be concluded.
Fig.1 A Japanese woman dressed in traditional Kimono
Orientalism was a term mainly used by scholars in the 18th century to describe the ideals of self-determination and national identity (Geczy 2013)，it was not until the industrial mass-production when Orientalism was related to fashion, the rise of middle-class result in the upper class’s demand for difference, prestige and novelty (Geczy 2013). And the peak of Orientalism in fashion came in the 20th century (Mears 2010), starting by Paul Poiret in the 1920s, followed by designer such as Balenciaga (see Fig.2) and Coco Chanel (see Fig.3).
(Left) Fig.2 Balenciaga’s Japanese inspired sack dress in 1957 (Right) Fig.3 Coco Chanel in front of her lacquered Coromandel screens in her atelier on Rue Cambon, 1937, Photograph by Boris Lipnitzki
Orientalism seemed to be many designers’ favored inspiration. And one of these designers was Yves Saint Laurent (see Fig.4), a post modernism designer renowned for his anti-fashion and marginalized population inspired works (Lowe 2010). Rather than follow ephemeral trends, Saint Laurent focused more on the luxurious theatre design (Breward 2003). In the late 20th century, Yves Saint Laurent launched a series of collections which were inspired by Orientalism, “Les Chinoises” in 1977 and the Autumn- Winter 1994 collection inspired by Japan. An examination of these collections will help to have a closer understanding of how Yves Saint Laurent, as an cultural outsider, interpreted the image of Orientalism.
Fig.4 Yves Saint Laurent with a courtesan dressed in traditional Kimono in Japan, 1963
Pastiche was frequent used by Saint Laurent when interpreting the image of Orient. Yves Saint Laurent claimed, theatres and art works gave him a series of “imaginary journeys” to these countries (Flaviano, 2018). As a postmodernist, Yves said that his collections were based on allusions to styles of painting (Crane, 1997). The Irises jacket from the 1988 Spring-Summer collection was inspired by Van Gogh’s painting “Irises” in 1889 (see Fig.5). Van Gogh was inspired by Hokusai, a Japanese painter. Van Gogh took the motif from Hokusai’s “Irises” (see Fig.6). Yves made this motif into an embroidered jacket made by Lesage (see Fig.6). The ostentatious embroidered irises gave the feeling of Orient, however, the way Saint Laurent interpreted the Irises made them look not exactly same. Yves changed the shape of Irises’ leaves by making them curvy, and the placement of irises seemed free, unlike Hokusai’s Irises, which could find the focus and seems more realistic.
(Left) Fig.5 Van Gogh’s painting “Irises”, 1889 (Right) Fig.6 Hokusai’s “Irises”,1833
Fig.6 Evening ensemble, homage to Vincent Van Gogh,
Spring-Summer 1988 haute couture collection
Yves Saint Larent’s colour was also inspired by oriental art works. When Saint Laurent extracted the colour, he used the method of bricolage to combine different colours. Bricolage is a term to describe combining objects and signs that are not related to each other (Calefato 2004). Rather than take the colours from oriental costumes, Yves Saint Laurent extracted the colours from Oriental artworks. In his 1977 collection, he designed a black, Chinese opera-like jacket (see Fig.8). Though black colour is not a frequently used colour in China for its ominous meaning. Yves took the inspiration from Chinese Lacquer screen (see Fig.9), and its black to interpret the Orient. The golden was from cloud pattern in “Textile Designs of Japan”, a book he owned (see Fig.10). This combination gave the image of Orientalism a new look, which was more gender free and mysterious, Yves Saint Laurent’s favour of using black to blend the sex line is quite famous (Breward 2003).
(Left) Fig.8 Yves Saint Laurent, evening suit, Fall-Winter 1977 Haute Couture Collection (Right) Fig.9 Two-panel screen, formerly in the collection of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Berge
Fig.10 Golden cloud pattern from “Textile Designs of Japan”, a book Yves Saint Laurent owned
When interpreting the form of Orientalism, Yves Saint Laurent used bricolage to combine different elements of garments together. This black jacket designed in 1977 (see Fig.11) took the inspiration from Chinese costumes of different periods. The collar could be traced from Chinese Cheongsam, the hat from Qing dynasty’s official hat and the Sleeves from Chinese opera dress. Yves Saint Laurent was not constrained by the rituals of the east, where female dresses should show the symbol of a female. Saint Laurent’s design took the inspiration from men’s wear. This gender-free design become his symbolic characteristics after the 1966-67 collection of “Le Smoking” (Breward 2003).
Fig.11 Black Jacket, Fall-Winter 1977 haute couture collection
However, when it comes to Japanese designers, the image of Orientalism is not presented in the same way as western designers did. Rather than convey the image, they deconstructed the traditional image of Orientalism. In the 1980s, Japanese designers’ debut in Paris made a shock to the people in fashion industry for their anti-glamorous and anti-aesthetic look of their clothes (English 2011, p.38). Among them, Yohji Yamamoto’s collection (see Fig.12) has been referred to as the Japanese invasion by the press at that time (Quinn 2002). Yohji Yamamoto is famous for his deconstruction of traditional culture image. And an analysis of his works could have a better understanding of his deconstruction of Orientalism.
Fig.12 Yohji Yamamoto’s rehearsal before the show in Paris
In Yamamoto’s work, he deconstructed the use of motifs. Motifs are rarely showed in Yamamoto’s work. Unlike traditional Japanese Kimonos (see Fig.13), which have ostentatious embellishment, Yamamoto’s clothes are plain and humble (see Fig.14). And this explained the reason why Yamamoto is regarded as a conceptualist, who took the idea underlying the art work rather than show the work of art itself (Baudot 1997). Devoid of accessories and details, Yamamoto imbued his clothes with emotions and ideas and let them to be metamorphosed by the models (Quinn 2002). In other words, Yamamoto created the atmosphere of the clothes without relying on the motifs. As a culture insider, Yamamoto’s negative aesthetic was influenced by Japan at that time (English 2011). The deconstruction of motif showed Yamamoto’s exploring of ascetic variation of his clothes, which conveyed the meaning of enduring and ephemeral (Baudot 1997). As Bonnie English (1997) claimed, Yamamoto, as a postmodernist designer, relies on visual paradox, which was actually an exercise of self-reflection.
(Left)Fig.13 Traditional Kimono with ostentatious embellishment (Right) Fig.14 Yohji Yamamoto,Black dress and red bustle, Autumn-Winter 1986 catalogue
The way Yamamoto uses colours has destructed the tradition of the Orient. For Yamamoto, black is a dominant colour in his early collections. Black for westerners means the elegance and mystery, however, in the east culture, it is more related to something secret, stealthy and cunning (English 2011). He liked people’s dark side (Wendors 1989). Yamamoto favoured this black, and Suzy Menkes (2000) described Yamamoto as “the poet of black”. In Wendor’s documentary “Notebook on Cities and Clothes”, the society he lived at that time was facing a situation of identity loss (see Fig.15). And he showed this issue in his design, that’s the reason why Yamamoto’s early years’ clothes look like ragged clothes. It was Yamamoto’s reaction to the society in the post-war years. In the 1980s, the post-modernism version of “the little black dress” become the trend of young Japanese women (see Fig.16), because Yamamoto’s black clothes could present their feeling at that time(English 2011).
(Left) Fig.15 People playing Pachinko in Tokyo in 1985 (Right) Fig.16 Yohji Yamamoto, Black dress in 1989
The form lies in Yamamoto’s belief of breaking the balance. Symmetrical things don’t seem beautiful to Yamamoto (Wendors 1989). Some of his design taboos showed the desire of breaking the balance of traditional Japanese conventions. His taboo of using high-heeled lies in his protest of traditional Japanese woman wearing high-heeled shoes (see Fig.17). Yamamoto claimed in the documentary “Notebook on Cities and Clothes” that girls in Japan are more realistic than boys. They wore high-heeled shoes and these made him feel that he can’t do anything for them in clothes (Wendors 1989). As a postmodernist fashion designer, he questioned the sexual nature of dresses, and put more emphasis on the tactility of materials. Not only did Yamamoto destructed the elements of status in fashion (English 2011), he also blurred the elements of gender in his clothing. Unlike Yves Saint Laurent, who added some elements of menswear into his design, Yamamoto was erasing the female elements in his clothes like high-heeled shoes, lace and waist-tight clothes.
Fig.17 Shoes of Yamamoto’s collection
In conclusion, the differentiation of Orientalism lies in that Yves Saint Laurent was a cultural outsider and Yohji Yamamoto a cultural insider. National imagery can never be “essential”, and it is moving through cultures and art forms. This image is an expandable and subjective term, which could be seen as something in process and not static (Gezcy 2013). As Gezcy (2013) argued, the lack of practical experience in the east and insufficient empathy of the culture made western designers’ image becomes a mere fantasy.
The differentiation of Orientalism is decided by the degree of a designer involved into the culture. Western designers could learn colours, motifs and forms from media like artworks and theaters, but their position inside the western cultures makes them difficult to be assimilated by oriental cultures. The colour use showed the traits of the west and the form is also based on the west. As Zolberg (2000) argued, insider or outsider distinctions in the art world have been multidimensional and should be categorized into different degrees. So is the image of Orientalism, it could not be simply classified as same or different anymore, and similarity of Orientalism is decided by the degree of designers involved into the oriental culture.
List of Figures
1. Kusakabei, K (Photographer), 1860s-90s, a woman in traditional Kimono, Scholars Resource, viewed 10 May,2019,
2. Balenciaga (fashion house), Balenciaga, C (designer), 1957, Japanese inspired sack dress, Arzalluz, M 2011, Cristobal Balenciaga The Making of a Master(1895-1936).
3. Coco Chanel in front of her lacquered Coromandel screens in her atelier on Rue Cambon, Lipnitzki, B (Photographer), 1937, in Samue, A 2018, Yves Saint Laurent : Dreams of the Orient.
4. Yves Saint Laurent (designer), 1963, Yves Saint Laurent with a courtesan dressed in traditional Kimono, Yves Saint Laurent’s Japan, viewed 10 May,2019,< https://museeyslparis.com/en/stories/le-japon-dyves-saint-laurent>
5. Van Gogh’s painting “Irises”, 1889, Yves Saint Laurent’s Japan, viewed 10 May,2019,< https://museeyslparis.com/en/stories/le-japon-dyves-saint-laurent>
6. Hokusai’s “Irises”, 1833, Yves Saint Laurent’s Japan, viewed 10 May, 2019,< https://museeyslparis.com/en/stories/le-japon-dyves-saint-laurent>
7. Yves Saint Laurent, Paris (fashion house), Saint Laurent, Y (designer), 1988, evening ensemble, homage to Vincent Van Gogh, Spring-Summer 1988 haute couture collection, Yves Saint Laurent’s Japan, viewed 12 May, 2019,
8. Yves Saint Laurent, Paris (fashion house), Saint Laurent, Y (designer), evening suit, Fall-Winter 1977 Haute Couture Collection, in Samue, A 2018, Yves Saint Laurent : Dreams of the Orient.
9. Two-panel screen, formerly in the collection of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Berge, in Samue, A 2018, Yves Saint Laurent : Dreams of the Orient.
10. Golden cloud pattern from “Textile Designs of Japan”, a book Yves Saint Laurent owned, in Samue, A 2018, Yves Saint Laurent : Dreams of the Orient.
11. Yves Saint Laurent, Paris (fashion house), Saint Laurent, Y (designer), 1977, Black Jacket, Fall-Winter 1977 haute couture collection, in Samue, A 2018, Yves Saint Laurent : Dreams of the Orient.
12. Yohji Yamamoto’s collection rehearsal, film still, Wim Wendors-Notebook on cities and clothes, video recording, 1989, viewed 15 May, < https://www.bilibili.com/video/av8164009/>
13. Woman's Kimono (Kosode), Original work found in Philadelphia Museum of Art, photograph, Berg Fashion Library, viewed 15 May 2019, <https://www-bloomsburyfashioncentral-com.ezproxy.lib.rmit.edu.au/products/berg-fashion-library/museum/philadelphia-museum-of-art/womans-kimono-kosode-2>
14. Yohji Yamamoto (fashion house), Yamamoto, Y (designer),Knight, K (Photographer), Black dress and red bustle,Autumn-Winter 1986 catalogue, in Salazar, L 2011, Yohji Yamamoto.
15. Tokyo in 1985, film still, Wim Wendors-Tokyo-Ga, video recording, 1985, viewed 15 May, < https://www.bilibili.com/video/av29689949?t=728>
16. Yohji Yamamoto’s Black Dress, film still, Wim Wendors-Notebook on cities and clothes, video recording, 1989, viewed 15 May, < https://www.bilibili.com/video/av8164009/>
17. Shoes of Yamamoto’s collection, film still, Wim Wendors-Notebook on cities and clothes, video recording, 1989, viewed 15 May, < https://www.bilibili.com/video/av8164009/>
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