Initial reaction:
Over thirty years have passed since Comme des Garçons made their debut in Paris, but the legendary Rei Kawakubo always surprises – with this season’s shock coming in the form of footwear. Hair was jet black and piled into messy, Teddy Boy quiffs, thanks to wigs crafted by long-term collaborator Julien d'ys.
Call of the wild:
The show played with the animalistic, from the tusks that extended, jester-like, from the toes of winklepickers, to the leopard print fabric spliced into suiting. The print appeared in militaristic jackets with gold-buttoned cuffs, and netting – from thin khaki rope to more stylised patterned fabric – covered garments. Like the narrow runway that models had to navigate, leaving them almost touching each other for the finale, it gave a sense of confinement to the collection: the wild being captured and forced into captivity.
Peace, love, empathy:
In the final looks, the tailoring's military influences were subverted by graphic phrases printed onto garments, such as ‘soldier of peace’, ‘anything war can do peace can do better’ and ‘peace, love, empathy’. A sartorial reflection on war-torn times, these slogans ended the collection on an optimistic note, bringing a welcome dose of the political to Paris.
Last season, Kawakubo's collection was laced with holes, recalling her first shows. See it below:
