The Paris Fashion Week before Commedes Garçons went out because of the lack of clearer wording, just a pleasure. In the fall of 2018, Rei Kawakubo drowned the audience in a pure fashion escape phenomenon – it was a sly Vaudevillian fantasy, full of imagination and camp. Now, escaping from reality is good and needs. To a certain extent, all of Kawakubo’s speeches reflect this escape, whether it is elated or not. Also worthy of attention are those that do not end with a noisy standing ovation.
On Saturday night, Commedes Garçons built a small (or industrially known “intimate”) plywood box in the courtyard of the Paris Academy of Fine Arts. In order to create more small (or intimate), Kawakubo staged two consecutive programs to choose from. Inside the box, three neat seats are located on either side of the short runway. There are no retro stage lights, just like last season, and there aren’t any other types of suits, really – just some lovely afternoon sun through the 19th century skylights.
In sharp contrast to the previous season, this collection is colorless, with the exception of three prints – two sans serif logos and the other featuring ink roses – tights and tulle tights that appear under the garments. on. In addition, the collection is also available in black, white and slate, as well as some navy blue and a dark seaweed green, as well as sparkling, party-friendly tassels and delicate embroidered satin. The shoes are also very pleasing: under the pointed feet there are perfectly tailored Chelsea boots and neat slashes, as well as shorts decorated with the Commedes Garçons necklace.
With more traditional low-key silhouettes (including trousers and short suits, blazers and some disassembled tuxedo jackets), this range is more commercial than Kawakubo’s usual on her runway. Although many commercial brands have been produced under the CDG umbrella, this is unlikely to be her concern.
Still, the styling is still the fashion show at the confluence of the Commies Garçons field in the peak concept (assisted by its gravel Tom Waits soundtrack). It conveys that this may be a timely reflection of women and motherhood.
Some models gave the pregnant belly a tie and exaggerated the creative proportion of the costume. Others have pillow-like bulges on either side of the hips – perhaps mimicking childbirth – or have the same plush protrusions near the back. All models are wearing silver wigs, divided into middle parts, and gathered in the low-key on the neck back of the neck. As long as we can age this gracefully.
The relative quietness of the show makes it easier to pay attention to these possible symbolic details. Two characteristic chains, which appear to be in the middle of the lineup, hang under the layer of clothing and drag the runway. You may not even know where the chain is – but Kawakubo made sure we noticed it.
When the final expression disappears, there is no extended ending, and fewer viewers shine in a childlike coma. There is a different reaction, a thoughtful but emotional response: the last season’s performance tells a story about girls and their becoming women in many ways. This season’s story is about women for decades.