September 29, 2012, 8:14 PM
Spring Crush in Paris
By CATHY HORYN
Junya Watanabe’s show on Saturday morning had the kick of an energy drink. Using sports fabrics like mesh and nylon, Mr. Watanabe created a collection as simple as it was innovative, with neon-bright mini dresses and jackets with an array of zipped vents, cool shifts made from interlocking pieces of mesh and jersey, and some lovely fluted dresses with slivered insets. About 25 percent of the fabrics came from Puma for a one-time collaboration with Mr. Watanabe. (It was unclear whether the Puma pieces would be produced, but I will find out more tomorrow in the Comme des Garçons showroom.)
Although the clothes were essentially sporty, Mr. Watanabe gave many pieces a couture feel, like a black hooded nylon jacket with a loose, billowy back. The sneakers — high-tops in silver, sleek numbers in white and black — were fantastic.
In the afternoon, Rei Kawakubo staged an engaging Comme des Garçons show whose operative word was “crush,” according to the designer. Crush could be taken in several ways: the pile up of garment patterns in a single outfit, creating an extreme type of sculpture, or a love crush.
I couldn’t say. There was a romantic quality to the silhouettes, which featured hats made from crushed cans and other materials. But there was the obvious analogy to the amount of waste in a consumer culture. The textures were very interesting, created from compressing natural cotton and gold or black fabrics, pushing them around on the body and stitching them down to form a new shape. As usual, Ms. Kawakubo gave a lot to contemplate and enjoy.
1.
SILHOUETTE & DESIGN
-Flutey dresses
-Hooded jacket with a loose billowy back
-High top sneakers
2.
DETAILS
-Jackets with an array of zipped vents
-interlocking pieces of mesh and jersey
3.
COLOR
-neon bright mini dresses
-silvered insets
-black hooded
-sliver and black sneakers
4.
FABRIC
-Sports fabric like mesh and nylon
-mesh and jersey
-nylon jacket
-natural cotton
-Kick of an energy drink
-"Crush"
-Romantic
