Menswear has fully swung back to tailored forms, something Rei Kawakubo never stopped subverting, transforming — and celebrating.
She gave her fall Comme des Garçons Homme Plus collection the ominous title of “Black Hole” and outfitted her young models with fright wigs and face masks that immediately brought to mind Jason Voorhees from the “Friday the 13th” film franchise. Yeesh!
You could say Kawakubo took her machete to black suit jackets and coats, hacking away at lapels, hems and button stances, opening new vistas onto the white shirts or silvery dresses underneath. But the effect was more intriguing than fearsome, and sometimes quite chic.
In fact, optimism bubbled up throughout the entire presentation, from the frothy textures created via puckering and knotting to the positive slogans hand-painted on the double-layer black derby shoes: “Strong Will” and “My Energy Comes from Freedom.”
For the finale, Kawakubo sent out her entire cast in white variations of her key silhouettes as French singer Michel Polnareff crooned his 1966 hit “Love Me, Please Love Me.” The designer had pulled us out of the black hole.
She also boldly explored a few strange new forms, including bi-level Bermuda shorts — the pant legs longer in the back, shorter in the front — and ballooning, almost clownish onesies, which were dignified with expertly cut spencer jackets, which seem to be making a comeback this season.
She selected some pretty fancy fabrics, including glossy lace, animal-print velvets, silver lamé and metallic brocades for her avant-garde jackets and flaring shorts.
By this point, a few models were wearing gleaming, high-tech muzzles, making them resemble some futuristic Hannibal Lecters. It still felt more festive than frightening.
