Two Yohji Yamamoto Felted Wool Hats

Alicia Simeran was born in Mendoza, in the heart of Argentina’s wine country. While attending Catholic school, Alicia’s mother helped her construct a dress of her own design. Upon seeing this creation, Alicia was instantly sent home by the principal for the risqué look. A love for the daring was instilled in her from that moment on. She came to the United States as a young woman with her husband, raised her family, and created a new life in Chicago. Alicia began working for Missoni, at the legendary department store Bonwit Teller. She broke the rules by wearing pantsuits, when the dress code requirement for women was skirts only. Once again, Alicia was sent home to change. Alicia later discovered the fashion emporium, Ultimo, a boutique that was known for outfitting Chicago’s dangerously chic. The boutique spoke her love of avant-garde design and provided her with just the palate she had longed for. Alicia relied on the legendary boutique for nearly thirty years, as it offered the unique and daring garments she cherished. Alicia Simeran was truly an expert curator of fine things, and Hindman Auctions is proud to showcase her impressive collection of advanced designer clothing that includes some of the most sought-after brands in the fashion world.

Yohji Yamamoto’s ever-forward trajectory puts his work in a class all its own. But the designer, born in Tokyo in 1943, didn’t start his career chasing the avant-garde. As a young man, working in his mother’s dressmaking shop, Yamamoto felt a calling to dress women in men’s clothes to shield them from harm and provide respite from the revealing fashions of the time. After graduating from Bunka Fashion College, he debuted his first collection in Tokyo in 1977, then in Paris by 1981. Yamamoto has always blurred the line between couture and ready-to-wear, mixing elements of athletic gear with abstract silhouettes and masterful tailoring. Since 2002, Y-3, his line in collaboration with Adidas, has been wildly successful in stimulating the dialogue between the runways and the streets. Though he takes inspiration from far beyond his own culture, Yamamoto’s vision of deconstructed elegance exemplifies the Japanese aesthetic philosophy of wabi-sabi, the appreciation of beauty that is slightly imperfect, transient, or undone. He works primarily in black, which he values for its ability to swallow light. Asymmetrical cuts, fluid silhouettes, unconventional draping, and unfinished seams are hallmarks of the designer’s work. Yamamoto is known for bringing the artistic and philosophical movement of deconstructivism into fashion in the 1990s. In 2011, the designer was honored with a solo career retrospective at the Victoria & Albert Museum and was awarded the high title of Commander by the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. At 80, Yamamoto continues to design, ever on the cutting edge.

THE FIRST
Black felted wool hat with inverted visor and white, contrast stitching.
Label: Yohji Yamamoto
Size: N/A
Country of Origin: Japan

Approximate Circumference: 20"

THE SECOND
Four-sided black felted wool hat with grosgrain ribbon trim and tie. Grosgrain at interior headband
Label: Yohji Yamamoto
Size: N/A
Country of Origin: Japan

Approximate Circumference: 20"

Property From the Personal Wardrobe of Alicia Simeran

This lot is located in Chicago.