Cocooning

Physically enormous, the Comme des Garçons SS17 collection gave next to no hint of a body; the oversized (to almost cartoonish proportions) garments hid the models and disguised any sign of body. Heads disappeared completely or peaked out of garments, balancing plastic skull caps with dripped acetate on top. There was a question as to whether these were clothes or sculptures, as the sheer size of them requires architectural construction techniques. Comme des Garçons challenged the very idea of what we consider to be fashion; here’s our SS17 brain teaser.

Kawakubo-isms

As one of fashion’s most challenging and insightful avant-garde designers, Rei Kawakubo’s design signatures are obvious to those in the know. This season, Comme des Garçons featured many of her trademark design features: enormous cut-outs, black and white polka dots on an oversized coat and bright red patent on a frilled dress as wide as it was long. Comme des Garçons has always been one for pushing the limits of design, and for SS17 we got to see an amalgamation of Kawakubo’s best signatures.

Pulling Shapes

Comme des Garçons looked at all manner of shapes for SS17, there was just one rule: make it big. Steering away from anything considered a “normal” silhouette, Kawakubo went straight for the avant-garde. An overcoat was cut in half, while interweaved jackets were pressed so flat they seemed almost 2D. A tartan kilt was pulled up into a straight line sitting high above the shoulders and falling down just past the knees and hid any inference of a body except the head. A circular quilt was trimmed with frills and contrasted with an extremely oversized peter pan collar. It may seem unusual, but it’s all in a days work for Comme des Garçons.