Fall 2006
Yeohlee sought inspiration for her Fall 2006 collection from the architecture of Italian Rationalism, 1926-43. Though it is more often referred to as Fascist architecture, the reality is that this revival of classicism, blended with machine age aesthetics and a later infusion of baroque opulence, had less to do with the totalitarian regime of Mussolini than with the then prevailing ideas of modernity. Architects such as Giuseppe Terragni, sought to create sports arenas, railway stations, giant roads, colossal harbors and glittering arcades in the newly revised classical style. His seminal Casa del Fascio, based on a square, with half of its dimension as its height fuses with Yeohlee's established practice of using geometry as a starting point of departure in her work.
Terragni's "engineer's aesthetic" can be seen in the clean, balanced forms that reflect both the architecture and the uniforms of the 1930s. Coats, such as the double face black cashmere trench in look 2 provide a balanced and protective envelope for Yeohlee's tie shirts and newly proportioned pants with their high-waisted and long, lean proportions. Her opposing catenary cuts, seen in the black-and-white cape, look 1, and in a truffle chocolate brown medallion skirt in look 23, with their graceful and sweeping silhouettes, further convey the balance of classicism's formulaic ideals and modernity's need for ease of movement.