REFERENCE LIBRARY: YOHJI YAMAMOTO: TALKING TO MYSELF: PUBLISHED BY: Steidl/Carla Sozzani

Legendary Naomi in Yohji's legendary catalogue created by Nick Knight, Marc Ascoli and Peter Saville

"For me, a woman in Yohji is like a nymphomaniac nun. His clothes are at once sensual and very ritualistic."

Jean Michel Jarre on Yohji Yamamoto

It is out of print but I truly believe Yohji Yamamoto's "Talking To Myself" is a masterpiece of archival history rendered as a work of art in itself. What is most moving about this boxed set is the genorosity of Mr Yamamoto's vision. On one level "Talking To Myself" is like an illustrated notebook recounting the various stages of Yamamoto's career. On the other it is also an exercise in artistic expression with the designer's sketches, illustrations, brush-strokes and explorations extending his ideas away from just being a simple chronicle of the clothes but also a tour of his mind and how it processes images. I bought this book two years ago but it was only this morning while scavenging desperately for some source material for today's TI's that I discovered that "Talking To Myself" also included a hand-drawn sketch from Mr Yamamoto himself. I was shocked and delighted and made to feel really grateful. That's what makes artists great, this impulse to make a gift of their talent and vision to the world.

Original sketch by Yohji Yamamoto from "Talking To Myself"