Menswear designers, both emerging and established, have long studied ways in which the suit can be chopped, screwed, and ultimately evolved. On the flip side, this season in particular has been united in the art of reduction; stripping things back to understand the fundamental elements of men’s daily uniforms and what we really require from the clothes we put on our backs. Such notions have, in many ways, been translated to simplification and refinement – going back to basics in order to move forward.
Rei Kawakubo obviously wasn’t going to follow the memo. As one of fashion’s true greats, she has used her Comme des Garçons Homme Plus collections to push the limitations of tailoring to new, enticing extremes. Her AW23 outing was no different, as suit jackets grew extra limbs and came with hairy cut-outs to expose a second blazer underneath. Kawakubo called it “Tailoring of the Avant-Garde”, fashioning her experimental suiting in pastel pinks and blues, punchy tartans and a metallic silver that made garments look like they’d been dunked in mercury. She worked with Toronto-born artist Edward Goss, who decorated slender overcoats and bulging blazers in what appeared to be notebook scrawlings. The look was completed with gelled-up bed heads and architectural crowns envisioned by Gary Card and Valériane Venance. If it’s a season of smartening up, Kawakubo does it with punk attitude.
Photography courtesy of Comme des Garçons.
