Y-3’s Artful Sportswear

Heard on the Runway; The buzz surrounding Y-3 may have been about the laser light show, celebrity attendees and fisticuffs between the designer and two models, but the substance was all Yohji Yamamoto, the artist-tailor. That’s a good thing, too.

Mr. Yamamoto is one of the world’s leading avant garde designers as well as a very fine tailor. But he has had a tough year, what with his namesake Yohji Yamamoto brand filing for bankruptcy protection last year. In the past, Y-3 has been his commercial outlet. Owned and well-funded by Adidas, it’s known for tailored streetwear and casual-dress athletic wear.

Y-3 has been a cool-ski-jacket and nice-hoodie kind of collection, with high-heeled sneakers and plenty of logos — well done, but not remotely as notable as the designer’s own line. There was plenty of that this time, too, at the runway show held at the Park Avenue Armory.