REI KAWAKUBO IS TRYING OUR PATIENCE AGAIN. DON’T YOU JUST LOVE IT?

No more two-dimensional flat clothes for COMME des GARÇONS. Rei Kawakubo put everything from last season into the trash compactor and it’s pretty fabulous. It’s all crumpled and layered. There’s even arms hanging off of torsos, but it’s GdG, so it’s not unexpected or even weird here. The Japanese house that shows in Paris has created its own world to be judged in (or not). It lives completely outside of trends, CFDA awards, and even prettiness. How long has COMME des GARÇONS been making clothes? Nearly forty years? And they’re doing some of their best work just now. I think it’s due in equal parts to Rei’s drive to move forward, to make herself (and her customers) uncomfortable, and her complete disinterest in pleasing editors, or anyone other than her own creative energy.

She famously told the NY Times last season that she is happiest when a collection is not too easily understood. Everyone loved ‘White Drama’ and seemed to get it. This displeased Rei, so she created last season’s flat clothes. Still just as loved, but people (myself included) got it totally wrong. It’s flat, like the internet! Nope said Rei. She was happy.

Well, I won’t pretend to even know what this new collection is about, but as WWD points out, the sculptor John Chamberlain whose crumpled metal works looks like cubed cars put through a trash compactor, had a show at the Guggenheim earlier this year. Dare I say Rei was inspired by John? She described the show in her usual style: “Crush. Energy explosion.”

During the show, the first group of models—dressed in white muslin and gloriously fucked up metal trash hats (crowns?)—walked out really slow. Tediously slow, some said. Trying everyone’s patience. Then, the next group, all dressed up in black and more metal hats, came out fast—almost jogging. Not so tedious anymore and people liked it, they got it. So of course that means things needed to change up again, right? The last group of models emerged slow and tedious all-over again. Fantastic!