Paris Fashion Week: Comme des Garcons

As Amy Winehouse’s Tears Dry on their Own burst forth from the loudspeakers, Rei Kawakubo’s extraordinary first outfit hit the stage in the Salle Pleyel theatre in the rue Faubourg St Honoré – bright orange silk, gathered and ruched into a puffed sleeve bodice and rompers, banded with black ribbon and worn with black, lace-trimmed, knee-highs and gold-chain decorated, flat black, patent pumps.

In pictures: Comme des Garcons

The model’s eyes were dark and smokey and her hair was trimmed with long, fake plaits, which dangled over the front of the garment.

This apparition was closely followed by another equally loud and incongruous creature in similar garb, this time in shocking pink satin, and worn with a pink leopard-print hat.

Bad taste: Comme des Garcons’ a/w '08 collection

Then came coats with cut-out holes, hearts and lips, trimmed with ruffles. Fake fur hats and bras were added to the bizarre mix, along with flimsy tunics over big, black knickers, a red, ruffled jacket with black ruffled knickerbockers and frilled bustiers with short ‘prom’ skirts with appliquéd red hearts or else in pink spotted tulle with matching garters. And were those suspenders I spotted as another ultra-short tutu flashed by.

Frills, ruffles, satin, see-through tops with nipples on show; love, hearts and kisses; black leather jackets with more heart-shapes scissored out and then adorned with frills.

My mind was racing with thoughts of a spoof ‘Crazy Horse’ or trailer-trash fashion parade. But I was quite wrong. Kawakubo was inspired by a famous Diana Vreeland remark which referred to bad taste being better than no taste at all.

This, then, was Comme des Garcons’ bad taste.

Comme Des Garcons autumn/winter 2008/2009 collection
Photographs by AP