Comme des Garçons F/W 13.14 Paris

[margielamike2004]

Thanks for posting the video, User500....you beat me to the punch. I was going to post the video, too.

 

[Phuel]

Thanks for the video user500!

Awesome soundtrack. I love the cluttered and intimate space of the show, all the better to see all the amazing details. And what details! Organic, amoeba-like forms protruding from the sleeves; leaf-like swatches of fabrics swaying to the movement of the wearer; almost origami-like roses are literally blooming out of the garments. It's otherworldly, surreal and even resembles a demented court-jester's outfit.

I am genuinely amazed by her vision each and every collection. She never follows, or even incorporates current trends into her vision, ever, yet still maintains high relevance and reverrence.The momentum of this label led by this incredible but never pretentious woman still contains that eternal liveliness and cache that's rarely reserved for older houses with their original designers. She doesn't need to rely or fall back on past-glories to evoke respect-- she continues to produce influential work year after year, and it's all so organic, like you've said Mike; there's always a hint, a residue of the former collection in the new one, but it's progressed, evolved, morphed... and yet always CDG. That's a visionary at work.

 

[Scott]

my....it's even more poetic in motion. like you said phuel,i've not felt anything this organic in some time from rei. it actually reminds me of the belgian/japanese movement in the early 00's a bit. it has that same sense of sombre yet surreal energy about it. and the fact that she used traditional men's attire and materials makes it all the more appealing to me.

phuel you talked about thom browne earlier and the truth is he is nothing but surface. mostly what he does he does for show....his ideas aren't an intrinsic nor integral part of what he designs. it's all add-ons.

to bearbrick,i've never once owned nor felt anything 'polyester' from CdG.....what an ignorant attempt to denigrate somebody as iconic and innovative as kawakubo is.

 

[laika]

^she does indeed use loads of polyester, but what she does with it is extraordinary...hardly a mere business tactic to elevate such a maligned fabric
with the kinds of treatments and construction that Rei uses. I love that about her actually...I quite respect that comme stays away from luxury materials.

this is an amazing show. no one else could fuse ornament and tailoring (structure) in this way...i love the knotted pieces especially. I wish Rick Owens had brought this type of fusion to his basket-inspired jackets.

But Scott, I do think you are too hard on Tom!
I bet he is going crazy for this....CdG is his favorite.

 

[Scott]

i dunno maybe it's because i have this perception of polyester and i've been quite fond of the quality of comme up close. but you're right...regardless of what she uses it's always intentional. i mean most of her scents are based on synthetics so it doesn't surprise me that she has a fondness for it in her clothes. it's all part of her fascination with contradictions of an industrial vs. natural world.

 

[margielamike2004]

In most cases, the polyester pieces from Comme have been boiled in water, very much like the boiled wool pieces.

Regardless of the fabrics, what she does with them always stays true to Rei's personal esthetic.

By boiling the wool or polyester, it questions..."is the fabric being destroyed, or enhanced??......Very much like deconstructed fashion, also. Is the garment being cut, slashed, ripped, etc....being destroyed or enhanced.

I truly don't mind spending lots of money on a Comme piece made of polyester...cuz' in most cases, I know it will be amazingly constructed and unique.

 

[Scott]

see so many assume that because one uses something "man made" that it's somehow about cheapening the value. synthetic materials can in fact be made in good quality. like you said,it's also about the process and treatment of the material which renders it good.

 

[bearbrick]

my....it's even mor

to bearbrick,i've never once owned nor felt anything 'polyester' from CdG.....what an ignorant attempt to denigrate somebody as iconic and innovative as kawakubo is.[/QUOTE

Well look and feel again , better still look at the care label with a Japanese translation device if needed. The dramatic pieces from 2011and /2012 were mostly if not all polyester...

All this talk of how wonderful polyester is , boiled , microwaved or otherwise and how creative and malleable it can be etc.....well I suppose the very good people at the yarn factories in Japan , where CDG may have very very strong links with , must be so pleased with how , what's is essentially plastic, has become oh so loved and admired. AND most of all .....how high the price is ESP those fetched by ms K at CdG ..( higher still if there is another round of oil shock/ crisis ...maybe they could use SHALE OIL then )

CDG is a well run conglomerate with very well oiled marketing strategies ...and strategists ( probably made up of psychology professors )

Don't get me wrong i do like CDG , it excites and tittilates me bones ....occasionally .... But boy oh boy , lets see the forest once in a while , while there's some left ( and not plundered by the shale oil conglomerates )

 

[margielamike2004]

I don't want to go off on a tangent about fabrics. I'm in fear that mentioning fabrics too much will send this thread off track and out of focus from the purpose of this thread. We're supposed to be talking about the collection as a whole, not the fabrics used to create it.

But regardless....I will mention this.

Polyester may be a cheap quality fabric. It's a man made material consisting of woven plastic......but polyester also has a lot of redeeming qualities, too.

Polyester never fades in color. It requires very little ironing and laundry care. It doesn't wrinkle, it doesn't attract lint, and it also doesn't shrink. It also requires very little time to dry, when wet.

Personally, whenever I feel the need to purchase something black (in particular)....I insist that the fabric content contains at least SOME polyester. Although it's polyester, the fabric actually has many redeeming qualities, too.

Many times in the past, whenever I bought something black...the fabric content was either 100% cotton....or wool. Through time, several washings, and with age.....the black garment faded, unfortunately. Cotton has a tendency to fade, and the fabric never retains it's original color. Also, it shrinks a bit from its original size and shape. It happens unavoidably with wool, too.

All of my pieces that have at least some polyester, have all stayed true to their original color....original size, etc.

Although polyester might be considered to be a cheap, man-made material, in some regards I see polyester as a much better investment, in regards to cotton. My polyester pieces have all stood through the test of time, multiple washings, and frequent wear.

 

[bearbrick]

my....it's even more poetic in motion. like you said phuel,i've not felt anything this organic in some time from rei. it actually reminds me of the belgian/japanese movement in the early 00's a bit. it has
to bearbrick,i've never once owned nor felt anything 'polyester' from CdG.....what an ignorant attempt to denigrate somebody as iconic and innovative as kawakubo is.

Ignorant attempt ? .... Never felt anything polyester by CDG ?
Either you purchase from a very well edited oxfam or you know nothing about CDG .

 

[Phuel]

Scott: Thom's show's are a fun farce at best, and I'm pretty sure that's his intention-- and even as a spectacle, it still feels so contrived-- and predictable. I do like Thom and identify with his menswear very much as the actual garments in the store are very appealing to my sense of dressing, but he's no contemporary of Rei. I don't think anyone's even on her level; not Yohji, not Helmut, not McQueen or Gaultier. I am blown away by her skills to fuse design, fashion, culture into her very own vision. Other visionaries like McQueen and Gaultier have always proposed various cultures and periods into their work without ever coming across as homogenous, synthesized or patronizing, which I always appreciate because so many designers are very one-dimensional when it comes to appropriating different cultures into their fashions. But with Rei, she's able to go that one step-- or dimension further, by not just melding the various influences and references, she's able to create something entirely and constantly CDG... I cannot pick apart the point where a reference ends and another starts: She's seamless. I hope that makes sense.

As for Rei's use of polyester: Your views are personal, and I suspect, for you bearbrick, it's a matter of sustainability and environmental? For me, it doesn't detract, or diminish the value of Rei's designs, so I don't have a problem with it. I adore Muiccia's use of synthetics as well, and the pieces I own of hers are mostly her variations of nylon, so I suppose I'm a fan of these cheap fabrics.

Anyway, best collection from Paris by far for me.

 

[carolyna]

There os too much of everything here, this collection in my opinion is too masculine

 

[Uemarasan]

Well look and feel again , better still look at the care label with a Japanese translation device if needed. The dramatic pieces from 2011and /2012 were mostly if not all polyester...

All this talk of how wonderful polyester is , boiled , microwaved or otherwise and how creative and malleable it can be etc.....well I suppose the very good people at the yarn factories in Japan , where CDG may have very very strong links with , must be so pleased with how , what's is essentially plastic, has become oh so loved and admired. AND most of all .....how high the price is ESP those fetched by ms K at CdG ..( higher still if there is another round of oil shock/ crisis ...maybe they could use SHALE OIL then )

CDG is a well run conglomerate with very well oiled marketing strategies ...and strategists ( probably made up of psychology professors )

Don't get me wrong i do like CDG , it excites and tittilates me bones ....occasionally .... But boy oh boy , lets see the forest once in a while , while there's some left ( and not plundered by the shale oil conglomerates )

Again, it's her ideas that are worth all the money here, not the fabric she uses. Fashion houses can use the most luxurious materials but have a poverty of design ideas. I would rather invest in creativity.

 

[donyan]

This is everything I want : madness ,beauty, Vision, talent. What joy it is to see this collection, especially this season , where everything had been so lacking in exactly that!
Posted via Mobile Device

 

[Scott]

excuse me bearbrick,you can spare us the passive-aggression please. nowhere does it imply that polyester is so loved and admired. all that we're saying is that we love how kawakubo works with it. my perceptions of polyester has always been that itchy smelly crap that my grandmother wore in the 60's and 70's. this is not like that. and yes like phuel said,you'd be surprised the designers who do utilise it some form. also that wonderfully soft and silky material called polyamide that's so commonly used is synthetic too......

anyway,the point is,nothing will ever deter the fact that this woman remains numero uno when it comes to boundless,uncompromising ideas and creativity. while i do appreciate somebody like westwood because she continues walking her own path i can't say that's been up on any kind of new idea in recent memory. kawakubo is constantly evolving and pushing the boundaries even during the worst downturns that this industry has gone through. that's why she remains so relevant and ever-present.

 

[user500]

does anybody know about the music of the show? do you know any of the artist's name or can you find a playlist?

 

[bearbrick]

excuse me bearbrick,you can spare us the passive-aggression please. nowhere does it imply that polyester is so loved and admired. all that we're saying is that we love how kawakubo works with it. my perceptions of polyester has always been that itchy smelly crap that my grandmother wore in the 60's and 70's. this is not like that. and yes like phuel said,you'd be surprised the designers who do utilise it some form. also that wonderfully soft and silky material called polyamide that's so commonly used is synthetic too......

anyway,the point is,nothing will ever deter the fact that this woman remains numero uno when it comes to boundless,uncompromising ideas and creativity. while i do appreciate somebody like westwood because she continues walking her own path i can't say that's been up on any kind of new idea in recent memory. kawakubo is constantly evolving and pushing the boundaries even during the worst downturns that this industry has gone through. that's why she remains so relevant and ever-present.

We , suddenly it's ...we ? , please try enrolling into fashion history school before you say someone is ignorant ....there is actually no need for you to extoll anything about ms K...least of all to me.

 

[Phuel]

^^^ Scott is a Mod, hence the royal "we"..

People like Rei, Miuccia, and Helmut have really changed my own disdain for synthetics with their almost alchemists' approach to fashion. They're incorporating and progressing more than the just the traditions of dressmaking to high fashion. They've contributed to debunking that old "itchy smelly crap that my grandmother wore in the 60's and 70's" mentality so that it no longer is a valid perception in terms of synthetics' stature in high fashion. But the fact remains that it's still a non-biodegradable material, nor is it an environmentally-friendly product. So I can understand a certain level of hostility towards it. But if it's just a question of a bourgeois sensibility-- that only silks and cashmeres are luxuries, then that comes off terribly outdated, to me.

And yes, please please please somebody list that epic soundtrack.

 

[Melisande]

Rei's use of polyester is an integral part of her design!!

She's all about challenging our ideas of how things should be; one senses she gets a kick out of it, and this is part of the reason she does amazing work with this misunderstood textile, as many artists work better under constraints. I also agree that it is an exceedingly hardy fabric, resistant and keeping its colour and shape...a joy to work with and wear...as long as the design is good. And boy does she pull off this challenge that few others can.

Also, I'm no expert but from what I know poly can be made from recycled plastics (I don't think it is the case here, though) and be recycled too. It can be very environmental, no?

Anyway very nice collection, I love when Rei goes baroque.

 

[runner]

although what she does is alchemic in a way, the lowliness of the raw material is not the prime reason for the choice here.
for example in S/S 2002, the fabrics had to be mostly man-made in order to correspond to what she wanted to express particularly. she didn't specify the materials' origins. all she said to the textile designer was "steely". and he researched accordingly, then made and suggested to her various fabrics. as a result many of them were of synthetic fibers. it didn't matter to her whether they are humble or noble.
if you make a japanese textile mill work exclusively for you for one season and create original special fabrics, regardless of what they are made of, it of course requires equivalent value of you who are an observant of fair trade.

btw, it seems that she does like a certain acrylic feel on a personal level as well.