With last year’s H&M – Comme des Garcons collaboration, Rei Kawakubo’s line has been catapulted to new heights. That said, by no means does that mean that the avant garde designer has opted for a more commercial look – or at least not for a more commercial runway. Certainly most every one of the pieces in this season’s Comme des Garcons collection (with the exception of the wholly wearable and beautifully constructed cape coats), will be toned down for retail.
Given Kawakubo’s high-brow, intellectual approach, like Hussein Chalayan, Rei Kawakubo’s work is always taken to another level when seen in person.
This season, to complement the designer’s layered looks, bound skirts and dresses, and piping details, the models were styled with balled-up powdered pink hair and pieces of fabric either covering the lower half of their faces or covering them like a veil with a kiss mark. The collection was titled “Wonderland” and was meant to reflect a world where nothing is as it seems.
Fittingly, there were trompe l’oeil blazers on coats and beautiful plays on contrasting fabrics which worked because of their mostly muted colors. The plain sheer overlays the designer showed added a light and airy feel to the collection that could have easily felt otherwise given the designer’s focus on outerwear and layering.
With her Fall/Winter 2009 collection Kawakubo managed to do exactly what Vivienne Westwood failed to do in her collection this season – making layering and masses of fabric fresh, interesting and at times, even wearable.
Images courtesy of the Fashion Spot forums.
