In quintessential Kawakubo fashion, the Japanese designer took Comme des Garcons’s Fall/Winter 2012 collection as an opportunity to twist convention, turning the idea of ‘flatness’ into an opportunity to explore exaggerated silhouettes, volume, and dimension.
The show began devoid of a soundtrack, save for the pitter-patter of velvety, high-heeled oxfords clicking down the runway.
Opening the collection, a set of candy colored, felted coats assembled in bright red, bubblegum pink, and electric blue, evoking a palette of bold simplicity. Graphics and patterns followed suit, as a slew of likeminded, felted ensembles covered in pop art camouflage, cheetah prints, polka-dots, and oversized hand-drawn flowers represented the progression of an idea on form, now with embellishment. Flowers were repeated throughout the collection, employed in a multiplicity of formats and mediums, while geometric cutouts added sensuality and dimension to the massive garments which otherwise overwhelmed the models’ tiny frames.
The collection had a paper-doll feel to it, playful by anyone’s standard – particularly that of Kawakubo – while the show’s lighthearted tonality was counterbalanced by the models’ robotic, emotionless movements, as the oversized garments hung on their bodies in rigid uniformity. Mid-show, a series of floral looks emerged entirely covering the body, from ankles to the top-of-head – matching floral masks included.
The later half of the show was a true embodiment of Kawakubo’s signature peculiarities; head-to-toe floral numbers accessorized with complimentary face-coverings, and coats with jagged collars and distorted, sharp arms, endearingly reminiscent of a child cutting and pasting pieces together. The collection concisely came to a head in the last five looks of the show; sequined, oversized doll dresses baring accentuated waists and outrageously rounded hips – an avant-garde interpretation of childhood

References
- 1
- 2
American Vogue
June 1966

Andy Warhol
Camouflage 409, 1987

Shiro Kuramata
Miss Blanche Chair, 1988

Sheila Hicks
Six Soft Stones, silk, wool, linen, monofilament, mohair, nylon, cotton, garments - wrapped, 1997

Rudi Gernreich
Animal print suit, 1960s

Tom Wesselmann
Great American Nude #94, 1967

Andy Warhol
Flowers, 1964-1965

Arata Isozaki
Team Disney Building. Florida, 1990

Claes Oldenburg
Leopard Chair, 1963

Emanuel Ungaro
Spring/Summer 1991 Couture

James Lee Byars
Untitled Photograph (Dress for 500; James Lee Byars and 6 Plays at the Architectural League of New York), 1968

Lisette Model
Woman in flowered dress, Promenade des Anglais, Riviera, 1937

Louise Bourgeois
Dressed in pink fur jacket and glitter hat

Marc Newson
Coast Dining Chairs, 1992

Nan Goldin
Misty and Joey at Hornstrasse, Berlin, 1992

Robert Morris
Untitled, 2010

Shiro Kuramata
Flower Vase #2, 1989

Superstudio
Passiflora Lamp, 1966

References

American Vogue
June 1966
1 of 18

Andy Warhol
Camouflage 409, 1987
2 of 18

Shiro Kuramata
Miss Blanche Chair, 1988
3 of 18

Sheila Hicks
Six Soft Stones, silk, wool, linen, monofilament, mohair, nylon, cotton, garments - wrapped, 1997
4 of 18

Rudi Gernreich
Animal print suit, 1960s
5 of 18

Tom Wesselmann
Great American Nude #94, 1967
6 of 18

Andy Warhol
Flowers, 1964-1965
7 of 18

Arata Isozaki
Team Disney Building. Florida, 1990
8 of 18

Claes Oldenburg
Leopard Chair, 1963
9 of 18

Emanuel Ungaro
Spring/Summer 1991 Couture
10 of 18

James Lee Byars
Untitled Photograph (Dress for 500; James Lee Byars and 6 Plays at the Architectural League of New York), 1968
11 of 18

Lisette Model
Woman in flowered dress, Promenade des Anglais, Riviera, 1937
12 of 18

Louise Bourgeois
Dressed in pink fur jacket and glitter hat
13 of 18

Marc Newson
Coast Dining Chairs, 1992
14 of 18

Nan Goldin
Misty and Joey at Hornstrasse, Berlin, 1992
15 of 18

Robert Morris
Untitled, 2010
16 of 18

Shiro Kuramata
Flower Vase #2, 1989
17 of 18
