Oh, you can try and unpack Comme des Garçons but you’ll be there all day. Designer Kawakubo neither explains nor comments; she’s not for words. Her work, she says, is her explanation – but have you seen it? Multi-referential and not normal; unusual and extreme. In fact, extremely extreme. She welds art and culture and references the street. It verges on art, some would argue it is art. It’s probably not. But it definitely is artful clothes. These garments are meant to be worn – they’re not wall hangings. But this afternoon’s show, a presentation of her autumn Homme Plus line, spoke of a fringe tribe: a post punk post Manson, post everything toxic tribe; of some underground music scene: this is post industrial goth. The angry model-youths with Rah-alike kohl’s eyes and effed-up cats eyes swaggered, and a couple of them posed a bit looking for trouble. Then stared at ten audience, didn’t start any trouble, and then walked on. Another one paced. All very teen angst, all very troubling. The Vowws, an LA-based post-industrial band played live. The show concerned itself with the scene and the aesthetic. The makeup, said a fashion stylist scene fan, was spot-on: the Rah-eye, the fucked up cat’s eye. The clothes were reconsidered Comme staples: beautiful jackets, harnesses with knuckle dusters links threaded through eyelets in leather. Croc-stamped faux leather shorts, fishnet tights and stomper boots; cycling shorts and prints of various angry faces on long shirts and jackets. It was dark and beautiful.
