Comme des Garçons Homme Plus Men's S/S 2021 Paris

[Benn98]

WWD

 

[YohjiAddict]

Metallic anything makes me retch, as cheap as it gets...The Yu-Gi-Oh hairstyles were at least funny.

 

[Phuel]

Pathetic.

Take away the Comme brand, and this is the generic brand of graduate-student-desperate-to-be-edgy-but-can’t-even-cut offering that you’d see at any given grad show-- down to the low-budget set. Sloppy archival references done on the quick by interns. I can’t even imagine the middle-age Comme-devotees would be suckered into wearing any of this. The metallic looks especially vile.

Some are “mourning” the passing of Prada. Well, may as well mourn for the passing of all the once-Greats— from Prada to Comme. All these great labels now look like imposters of their past glories. WTF.

 

[Nomar]

The Yu-Gi-Oh hairstyles were at least funny.

I cannot.

 

[jeanclaude]

Anime characters wrapped in aluminium foil, like deconstructed sandwiches to take away.

 

[eugenius]

I actually don’t mind the coats. Done in that metallic textile, it’s something different from CDG, and nice to look at on my phone, but when it hits the sales floor, I doubt it’ll sell well. At least it doesn’t have any stupid ruffles in the back, weird ruching in the front, annoying straps on the sleeves, or ugly cartoonish prints splashed about in haphazard ways.

Sure, I’ve seen better CDG men’s, but I’ve definitely seen worse (way worse, and a lot of it) from this line.

 

[tricotineacetat]

I actually enjoy those foil-laminated metallics - I see something in the spirit of Helmut Lang in there, rather than 'cheap' I would describe that as 'industrial' - Besides, not every high fashion needs to exude obvious 'luxury' as in expensive taste and CdG more than any other design house embodies that.

 

[Fulton St Critique]

I love the pleated skirts, yes, even the metallic one! There are several solid pieces throughout the collection but as a whole it is rather sub-par.

 

[Phuel]

I actually enjoy those foil-laminated metallics - I see something in the spirit of Helmut Lang in there, rather than 'cheap' I would describe that as 'industrial' - Besides, not every high fashion needs to exude obvious 'luxury' as in expensive taste and CdG more than any other design house embodies that.

If you dig it then more power to you.

Comme’s never exuded traditional luxury and I don’t think anyone ever expected that from this brand. But innovation and freshness with unexpected mixing of textures and silhouettes in masterful construction was always paramount to this brand: It was deconstructed couture. What I see presented as a mainline Comme collection is absolutely reductive in cuts and texture. Helmut may have proposed crumpled silver-foil leather over 2 decades ago, but since then he’s been copied and ripped off by countless others— from major brands to students, that for a brand like Comme to propose it now just seems lazy and stale. Comme should be better than this. Is Rei even remotely involved anymore…???

 

[tricotineacetat]

If you dig it then more power to you.

Comme’s never exuded traditional luxury and I don’t think anyone ever expected that from this brand. But innovation and freshness with unexpected mixing of textures and silhouettes in masterful construction was always paramount to this brand: It was deconstructed couture. What I see presented as a mainline Comme collection is absolutely reductive in cuts and texture. Helmut may have proposed crumpled silver-foil leather over 2 decades ago, but since then he’s been copied and ripped off by countless others— from major brands to students, that for a brand like Comme to propose it now just seems lazy and stale. Comme should be better than this. Is Rei even remotely involved anymore…???

Well I'm pretty sure upon closer look there is intricacy to the cut and construction as usual, personally I would rather see an orgy of technical fabrics as she did here compared to seeing yet another 'wearable' but utterly foreseeable Junya Watanabe menswear collection that confirms yet again the Japanese's fascination of 20th century men's workwear clothing (but doesn't do anything to push the boundaries of menswear).

 

[jeanclaude]

another 'wearable' but utterly foreseeable Junya Watanabe menswear collection that confirms yet again the Japanese's fascination of 20th century men's workwear clothing (but doesn't do anything to push the boundaries of menswear).

Watanabe has become very predictable: one season he goes sartorial, the next he goes punk; and then the following one it´s sartorial again...rinse and repeat!

 

[Phuel]

^^^ LOL yeah frankly anything here is superior to Junya’s hobo-patchworks and his pear-shaped silhouette for men.

You know, I’ve been looking at the MET CdG book and the brand of individuality of design— one that takes its influences from everything/anything and still repurposed in such a fresh and unique product, is the high standard to expect from this label. And even thought there’s nothing in that tome documenting her menswear, the best of the menswear, is equally, if not at times, superior to the womenswear. I’ll always maintain that menswear in its most inventive and innovative incarnation, is so much harder to design successfully than for womenswear.

At this point, to see another by-the-numbers deconstructed suiting offering from Comme— and with the tiresome punky/skater/Teddyboy styling, with an added Yu-Gi-Oh (LOL) wigs, is just a letdown from Comme. I know I’m being particularly hard— but I only always expect the best from Rei/Comme.

 

[runner]

sticking to the actual show......having models walk around with careful ventilation, distributing face shields to the audience at the entrance, etc. these are a few of the signs of her being still involved anyway.
above all, smelling a bit like an honor student. I feel this in her recent menswear shows. there is some obsession. there is little freedom. what once was freedom is there as a sense of mission, duty now.
a role model for others, other business persons, other designers, or other rebels. and it hardly looks like a rebel nor an outlaw any more really.
it lacks in accident or unpredictableness, mysterious power.
adorno said in the history of art late works are the catastrophes. I'd like that in fashion as well.

this spring/summer was a season in hell.
the dream for the time being is to maintain the status quo which is already a form of retreat.
it is understandable that in such times she had to speak of strength and hope by means of the metallic.
but a sense of despair would have given it some liberty.
yohji is good at dealing with despair humorously. I know that's one thing she doesn't want to do. but I think she can make the fractured landscape of anxiety and hope, despair and confidence.

 

[DivineStyle]

You couldn’t pay me to wear 99.9% of this damn collection. I’ll take one of those black leather jackets and that’s it.

 

[Uemarasan]

sticking to the actual show......having models walk around with careful ventilation, distributing face shields to the audience at the entrance, etc. these are a few of the signs of her being still involved anyway.
above all, smelling a bit like an honor student. I feel this in her recent menswear shows. there is some obsession. there is little freedom. what once was freedom is there as a sense of mission, duty now.
a role model for others, other business persons, other designers, or other rebels. and it hardly looks like a rebel nor an outlaw any more really.
it lacks in accident or unpredictableness, mysterious power.
adorno said in the history of art late works are the catastrophes. I'd like that in fashion as well.

this spring/summer was a season in hell.
the dream for the time being is to maintain the status quo which is already a form of retreat.
it is understandable that in such times she had to speak of strength and hope by means of the metallic.
but a sense of despair would have given it some liberty.
yohji is good at dealing with despair humorously. I know that's one thing she doesn't want to do. but I think she can make the fractured landscape of anxiety and hope, despair and confidence.

Best post in the thread, and genuinely deals with the collection and context rather than inventing bogeymen and imaginary windmills to tilt at. I’m getting pretty tired of the direction quite a few Comme threads usually take in this forum so this is a breath of fresh air. Much gratitude!