Tao S/S 2022 Tokyo

[Drusilla_]

likewise, she didn't use sugary elements because she wanted CdG to be sugary.
it was like negating the sweet by means of the sweet.

Exactly, there's a ...for lack of a better word, forcefulness in the way those sugary elements are used that makes the final product far from the usual mental picture conveyed by writing down "this collection is full of long full ruffled skirts". It's feminine and has those girlie elements, but exaggerated to the max in a way that skips right past "good taste" or "pretty" and ends up almost parodying those things, that's what has always fascinated me about CdG lines. I'm seeing that in Tao's line too, only not in quite an abstract style as Rei likes to go which makes sense given this is taking the place of tricot.

 

[dfl-001]

Such a Beautiful, Beautiful collection!

 

[runner]

Exactly, there's a ...for lack of a better word, forcefulness in the way those sugary elements are used that makes the final product far from the usual mental picture conveyed by writing down "this collection is full of long full ruffled skirts". It's feminine and has those girlie elements, but exaggerated to the max in a way that skips right past "good taste" or "pretty" and ends up almost parodying those things, that's what has always fascinated me about CdG lines. I'm seeing that in Tao's line too, only not in quite an abstract style as Rei likes to go which makes sense given this is taking the place of tricot.

yes this is fashion, not art.
but CdG is as far from life, as close to spirit, as rei can get.
fashion that trembles on the border of fashion ( "clothes that are not clothes" in the comme words).
this could be just about eroticism, where the forcefulness might come from.
"we want to get across without taking the final step, while remaining cautiously on the hither side." - bataille

tao has to care about life a lot.
although it may appear like sheep's clothing sometimes, it is a companion of rei kawakubo - a sort of archangel of rebellion.

 

[runner]

for reference, here is a rectangular prism of taste by shuzo kuki that shows how the modes of taste are related to each other.

amami refers to something not only sweet but also alluring, and even poisonous. it is what rei has been exploring, inspired by yukio nakagawa. and it could be interpreted as an enriched form of hade - something brave, loud, garish, etc.
and it lies midway between iki and yabo.
yabo - boorish, uncool, unrefined, unpolished, etc. paul harnden is someone who can deal with yabo in the most charming way imaginable. it makes sense that paul harnden has been available at CdG aoyama flagship.
iki is what yohji is about. it can't be translated, stubbornly vernacular. so there is a book (the structure of iki) that explains the complex concept. but the correlation might show what it is somewhat.
the most striking opposite of amami is shibumi - something astringent, austere.....the aesthetics that's against emotional talkativeness, something like cold or dry passion. this relates to maurizio altieri.
Shibui - Wikipedia




from googlebooks, The Structure of Detachment

 

[Drusilla_]

for reference, here is a rectangular prism of taste by shuzo kuki that shows how the modes of taste are related to each other.

amami refers to something not only sweet but also alluring, and even poisonous. it is what rei has been exploring, inspired by yukio nakagawa. and it could be interpreted as an enriched form of hade - something brave, loud, garish, etc.
and it lies midway between iki and yabo.
yabo - boorish, uncool, unrefined, unpolished, etc. paul harnden is someone who can deal with yabo in the most charming way imaginable. it makes sense that paul harnden has been available at CdG aoyama flagship.
iki is what yohji is about. it can't be translated, stubbornly vernacular. so there is a book (the structure of iki) that explains the complex concept. but the correlation might show what it is somewhat.
the most striking opposite of amami is shibumi - something astringent, austere.....the aesthetics that's against emotional talkativeness, something like cold or dry passion. this relates to maurizio altieri.
Shibui - Wikipedia
from googlebooks, The Structure of Detachment

Thanks for that 'prism of taste' diagram, it's really interesting! I did wonder at your example of Paul Harnden being yabo, but in opposition to iki (a concept that I can maybe visualise but not verbalise with your Yohji example, some concepts just defy accurate translation and I think a lot of our interpretations may also be up to personal taste), it makes sense - like PH and Yohji have certain visual elements and attitudes in common but very different ways of approaching them? Likewise with Rei and Tao, the complementary/companion vibe is there and design-wise, it makes absolute sense as part of the CdG universe.

 

[runner]

the content of that post was a bit too simplified. sorry

yabo also includes rural, rustic, country, etc, so the look of PH.
it isn't necessarily used negatively.
according to kuki, "often when someone says "i am yabo", he expresses a sense of conceit about being yabo. he takes pride in not having gone through the refinement in the domain of the public of the peculiarities of the opposite sex. here exists something that is worthy of pride and conceit. whether to favor iki or choose yabo is a matter of taste. here we do not see the objective, absolute value judgement. however......"

the word iki could not conjure up urban, city, etc directly.
but " a moral ideal of Edo culture is manifestly reflected in iki. in this word, the spirit of Edokko (Edoites) is contained as a pivotal moment."
edo = tokyo
so yohji maybe especially femme rather than homme

as you suggest, the vertexes can be all differences, extreme divergences of one same something, where one vertex is an image offered to the others.

givenchy vs comme





gq
fashionsnap

 

[Drusilla_]

That's interesting - the impression I'm getting off your post is that yabo is more on the earthy side, while iki can be more on the side of subtlety?

And ooh, the Givenchy vs Comme pics are exactly what I was talking about - superficially they have some of the same elements but the intent and spirit is so different.....

 

[runner]

yes earthy in a way
also old-fashioned, demode
in terms of not being blase, or not being trendy nor fashionable, yabo can be used positively.

the more one gets logical, the more iki escapes from itself. as another approach, one could say, what is not iki then? an answer could be the act of its explanation. so shuzo kuki takes lots of specific examples.
something called "nukiemon" (pic below) rather than décolletage
the lightness of willow branches or light rain brought down by gravity vs the weight of geologic strata at rest brought about by gravity
vertical stripes can be more iki than horizontal lines.
and around iki, there is always some faintest sign of a sense of loss, sorrow, solitude, or absence...
definitely expressions of iki should be subtle.



kimonogokoro

 

[softgrey]

I remember that artist, @runner
amazing images and very inspiring...

i will say this...
i have worn cdg labels ever since i could afford them...
always mixed with other things so unless you know, you wouldn't know...

as i have gotten older though, i care a lot less about the opinions of others and i wear what makes me feel good no matter the environment...

having said that...
it's yohji that i turn to more and more...often getting dressed and realizing as i go out the door that i am in head to toe yohji without even having thought about it...

my cdg doesn't get nearly as much wear as it used to...
but i think it has more to do with the fact that i don't own the pieces that i would like to wear...
for example...
i should really get some cropped harem pants from one of the labels...
probably cdg cdg who do them reliably every season...

i will say that every tao look that @runner posted is something that I would happily wear and feel super happy and confident in...

tao's original label was also crazy expensive, so it's not shocking that the new stuff is so pricey...
not ideal, though...

...

 

[softgrey]

vertical stripes can be more iki than horizontal lines.

i think this was the best bit of your many examples of iki...


IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII


...

 

[softgrey]

i wore my only tao piece today and it got me wondering---
where is the fall collection? Did I miss it?

...

i randomly saw a couple of dresses on Nordstrom.com (!)...
anyone have a link or care to post FW22?

Thanks in advance...

...

 

[YohjiAddict]

Here it is:

tao 2022AW

I really didn’t like it and was severely disappointed after her debut.