Mood board: Solemn as a mass funeral and yet as intriguing as any complex work of contemporary art, Rei Kawakubo sent out another fashion collection that took root around her preferred themes of exaggerated volumes as well as fabrics that had been twisted, tied and inflated to look like bulbous forms. The human body, including protruding heads and scarecrow legs, were but mere after-thoughts to the larger mental exercise of recasting fashion norms.
Best in show: As usual, there was much to marvel at here. Kawakubo played with ruffles, ornate pleating and oversized ribbon lacings that took their cues from fairytales or the Victorian age. But the best work centered around her use of feathers, including piles of brown and white coq plumes that were built up to look like beautiful bird nests and the huge velvet casings that looked like tree trunks cinched with leaf-like feathers.
Finishing touches: In the world of Comme des Garçons, the models’ hair is treated with as much artistry as the clothes. This season Kawakubo made the case for blood red cotton candy hair sliced into wedges along with a few feathered head dresses that swallowed the model’s heads completely, save for a couple of handy eye slits.
INFORMATION
Photography: Jason Lloyd-Evans
-
Shop the gloriously mad inner workings of Gary Card’s brain in London’s SohoSet designer and artist Gary Card has taken over London's Plaster Store – expect chaos and some really good accessories
-
Venerable British car-maker AC goes OTT with the high-output, low-slung AC GT SuperSportPitched at all-American fans of the original AC Cobra, the GT SuperSport is a fearsome two-seat roadster with more muscle than ever before
-
The dynamic young gallerists reinvigorating America's art scene'Hugging has replaced air kissing' in this new wave of galleries with craft and community at their core
-
Haute Couture Week A/W 2025: what to expectFive moments to look out for at Haute Couture Week A/W 2025 in Paris (starting Monday 7 July), from Glenn Martens’ debut for Maison Margiela to Demna’s Balenciaga swansong. Plus, ‘new beginnings’ from JW Anderson
-
Donna Trope celebrates the power of the Polaroid in Paris‘Polaroids used to be my rejects, and now they are my holy grail,’ says the beauty photographer, as she shows rarely seen images in a Paris exhibition
-
Palace unites with Rapha to celebrate inaugural Tour de France FemmesMarking the first time women will compete in the historic cycling race since the late 1980s, this new collaboration sees Palace Skateboards and Rapha create uniforms for both on and off the bike – including an ‘outlandish’ pair of Crocs
-
Paris Fashion Week A/W 2022: Chanel to Miu MiuIn this extended report, Wallpaper* updates you live from Paris Fashion Week A/W 2022 shows, with rolling coverage as runway events unfold
-
Scene-stealing runway sets from S/S 2022 womenswear showsFrom giant roulette wheels to Olympic diving boards and multi-city synchronized extravaganzas – our pick of the best fashion show sets from S/S 2022 womenswear
-
Louis Vuitton A/W 2020 Paris Fashion Week Women's -
Chanel A/W 2020 Paris Fashion Week Women’s -
Y/Project A/W 2020 Paris Fashion Week Women's
