Comme Des Garçons

[softgrey]

comme comme is such a uniform, in a way, isn't it?
variations on a theme...
shrunken blazer, pleated skirt, cropped pant, cotton shirt, cardigan...
trench coat, white t shirt, jumper

thanks for the pics runner...
i like the sleeves that tie together...
those are a nice surprise...
i didn't expect them to tie in front AND in back....
cute!

 

[RedAzalie]

Few weeks ago i bought midi pleated, high weisted skirt, with big pocket, vintage from 1985, im so happy

 

[softgrey]

Few weeks ago i bought midi pleated, high weisted skirt, with big pocket, vintage from 1985, im so happy

sounds great!


black, i assume?

 

[RedAzalie]

sounds great!


black, i assume?

Of course - is there another color ?

If funny coz in Poland we rather have poor amount of good vintage shops but this one in Cracow is suprising me more and more - owner is buying stuff from one lady in NYC and she also travel to London rom time to time.
(i bought amazing long dress/coat from Miu Miu and eyeing jill saner green dress B))

 

[softgrey]

i see more and more cdg in resale shops, especially online...
though i can't say that i see anything that i would buy or wear...
except in size 1- which pretty much no western person can fit into, for the most part...

even when i was tiny i wore the size 2, since volume is usually desirable in cdg designs...

i don't know...
i don't see more people wearing cdg...
but i know for a fact that more people are buying it...
i wonder where they are?

 

[runner]

maybe they are at the quiet back of the closet, as wardrobe fertilizer?
or it might be that new customers didn't know what to do with CdG after purchase, then went to resale places?
although I cannot talk about what it's like over there, CdG has been one of the biggest part of the resale shops' stock over here. the main reason could be the costomers' habitual way of CdG hunt. they buy several pieces a season through pre-order. and when the pieces actually arrive, naturally some of them don't fit them well or they don't like them in person. this is how they contribute for the perpetuation of the resale shops prosperity. the shops have got not a few brandnew pieces already at the start of the season. of course CdG is partly guilty, since the sales assistants incite the customers to pre-order, if they don't want to miss anything.

also, though this is not just about CdG. if something is quite popular not pre-orderable, you'd see people stand in line on the arrival day. the line of people the mafia hired who are not the wearers obviously or clearly. for example number nine used to be like that. they could resell it at incredible prices. those who resell were called "buyer", as opposed to wearer. that's why eventually buyers needed their passport or driver license at the official nn dealer. in order for the actual wearers to get to buy it more easily. but in general with the difficulty it felt precious more and more, and tended to be treasured instead of worn.

 

[softgrey]

wow- brand new stuff? really?

well- what i can say for sure is that a lot of resale places specialize in more mainstream designer fashion and their customers look for more mainstream labels, so even if you want to give them something avant garde, they won't take it because they know they won't sell it...
but i spoke with one place who said they are now getting requests from customers for things like comme and junya, etc...
so the customers tastes are somewhat changing here now...

there used to be a small resale place that specialized in only vintage japanese labels, but it went out of business some time ago...
too bad, because i think that now it would be very popular...

i recently discovered that this place has some very good vintage pieces...
in very good condition and in good sizes...
they are quite pricey compared to some other resale places, but the pieces are much more desirable, and, therefore worth the $$ imo...
this is because it isn't a 'resale' shop...
it's not just stuff people want to get rid of...
it's amazing stuff that the owners have found and collected, mostly directly from japan and often stuff that was never available over here...
http://www.dearrivington.com/

i've talked about them before...but i really can't stop thinking about them...
there is a comme jacket with side inserts (very sacai) that i can't get out of my head...
it's sacai before there WAS sacai...
you can really see the roots of where chitose abe comes from in that one piece...
amazing!

 

[margielamike2004]

That's one of the things I've always loved about CDG....and that it was never focused on being a commercial label. Although Rei posted advertisements in fashion magazines, and such...and it wasn't very often that the clothes were represented. Most of the adverts consisted of presenting lesser known artists, photographers, actors/actresses, etc....kinda like giving other creative people more exposure...and less concern for the labels own gain or profit margins. She was also very much against using logos or corporate branding to garnish familiarity. From my perspective....Comme was never a brand that needed to reply upon cheap marketing ploys to get attention or to make more money...the things she made and the collections she presented....spoke for themselves. Unfortunately, people are less likely to spend 1000 dollars on a piece....that other people are not familiar with...they're more likely to spend their money on a piece that flaunts a labels status...which in turn makes other realize that what they're wearing is very like to be assumed as expensive.

It's one of the reasons why I absolutely can not stand anything from the Play collection. To me...the pieces are way too commercial....the pieces are way too basic....and the pieces are way too over-priced. I'm not going to spend 400 dollars on a navy-blue cardigan...simply because it has a quirky heart patch with eyeballs sewn onto it....when I can actually find a navy-blue cardigan at a vintage store for under 10 dollars. Spending money on anything from the play collection....simply doesn't seem sensible or practical to me....but to each, their own.

 

[runner]

wow- brand new stuff? really?

well- what i can say for sure is that a lot of resale places specialize in more mainstream designer fashion and their customers look for more mainstream labels, so even if you want to give them something avant garde, they won't take it because they know they won't sell it...
but i spoke with one place who said they are now getting requests from customers for things like comme and junya, etc...
so the customers tastes are somewhat changing here now...

there used to be a small resale place that specialized in only vintage japanese labels, but it went out of business some time ago...
too bad, because i think that now it would be very popular...

i recently discovered that this place has some very good vintage pieces...
in very good condition and in good sizes...
they are quite pricey compared to some other resale places, but the pieces are much more desirable, and, therefore worth the $$ imo...
this is because it isn't a 'resale' shop...
it's not just stuff people want to get rid of...
it's amazing stuff that the owners have found and collected, mostly directly from japan and often stuff that was never available over here...
http://www.dearrivington.com/

i've talked about them before...but i really can't stop thinking about them...
there is a comme jacket with side inserts (very sacai) that i can't get out of my head...
it's sacai before there WAS sacai...
you can really see the roots of where chitose abe comes from in that one piece...
amazing!

yes brandnew stuff. CdG is like a cult or in a way a bit like an union of the amazons. so there is a cult following, which is what has been supporting CdG, at least in tokyo where CdG has really been the fashion of the fashions if that makes sense or the densest part of the local fashion industry. those fans' purchase habits partly look as if they were making an almost religious donation to CdG. and thanks to them school kids get to buy CdG at rather good prices at the resale shops.


rei and comme executives
my screen shots of a video

 

[runner]

will respond to mike later.


"karasu-zoku" is the way the supporters were called around those days I was a junior high school student.
karasu-zoku is in english basically, crows. there should be some negative connotation there. the crow is something to send away. but what disturbs the general people's dislike of change and their peace of mind could have been something new and strong.


karasu-zoku
ameblo

 

[softgrey]

haha..rei and her clones!

well- i can definitely say that i noticed many people wearing comme on the streets of tokyo...
even the lady at the front desk of the museum had on a t-shirt...
it looked very natural and easy...
and not like a costume, the way so many western people style it...
i feel like i especially saw a lot of the pants...
which is something one rarely sees around here...

there are also quite a lot of comme shops...
they seemed to be everywhere...
it became very obvious, very quickly that comme sells well in japan...

but the price is also much better there...
and that has GOT to be a factor...

now that i have seen the prices over there, i confess, it makes me think twice about buying it here where we must pay almost twice as much...
...

i guess i understand the idea of being obsessed with a brand and waiting for it to arrive, etc...
i have been like that at times...
and i definitely have things in my closet that don't get worn, but i will never part with...
the comme skirt from the witches collection is a good example...
...
though, i confess, that skirt has been on my mind and i am itching to wear it...

i have to find a way to tone down the drama and make it more user-friendly...
probably it would be good with just a t-shirt and flat sandals...
something like that...

 

[softgrey]

will respond to mike later.


"karasu-zoku" is the way the supporters were called around those days I was a junior high school student.
karasu-zoku is in english basically, crows. there should be some negative connotation there. the crow is something to send away. but what disturbs the general people's dislike of change and their peace of mind could have been something new and strong.


karasu-zoku
ameblo

these women look amazing...


i LOVE these pics...

so inspiring...

i want to be this kind of crow!!!


i agree that it had to be something quite strong to counteract the disapproval of the mainstream...
or to simply challenge the status quo...
which makes me admire the women who wore/wear it even more...


thanks so much for the wonderful inspiration...

 

[softgrey]

you know, runner - i was thinking about the fact that you were a jr high school student when this was happening...
basically- you and your peers got to witness, firsthand, a fashion revolution...
the way the kids in london got to witness the birth of punk and new romantic...

it must have made a permanent mark on the psyche of that generation and, eventually, changed the way people think...

one thing i thought of about why rei's fans admire her for so many years, is that she remains steadfast...
she does not waver or look away from her core concept...
i think some designers lose fans because they change direction-
for example- isabel marant...
rei always remains true to herself- even through tough times...
it's a really admirable quality and shows her strength...
i'm not sure about the men who wear comme, but i think the women who wear it must have quite strong personalities...

...

 

[margielamike2004]

SOFTGREY....in regards to the skirt that you own.....from the witches collection....have you ever considered wearing the skirt.....over a pair of pants??

 

[margielamike2004]

Although I have always loved Comme from its earliest beginnings...i might be a huge supporter of Rei's...but there are also times when some of her collections don't appeal to me. I'm not the type of person who admires one particular designer...and claims that EVERYTHING they do, is amazing. It's merely a matter of personal taste...like or dislike.

I've seen (and own)...many, many "vintage" pieces from CDG....but even though many years have passed since many of those pieces were presented...upon close examination....none of my vintage pieces look incredibly out-dated or non contemporary. The construction of many of Rei's pieces...are light-years ahead of many other well known designers on the market.

I own a vintage coat by CDG.....which looks as though it was inspired by a Chesterfield coat you would see...from the turn of the century.

It's knee-length.....navy blue....but with a black velvet collar. The lapel of the coat isn't velvet....only the back-section of the collar is black velvet....much like a "traditional" Chesterfield coat....but, with Rei's touch...the front lapel of the coat, folds upon itself....it drapes to an angled point towards the front. From a side view....the coat it cut much shorter than the front....when seen from the side view...the coat has been cut on an angle...shorter in the back....and pointed towards the front.

The piece was made in 1989....and although it's a "vintage" Garcon piece...I tried to find a Chesterfield coat on the market...that wasn't so classic and straight forward as one you would find from the turn of the century. I honestly couldn't find anything.

A person with a discerning eye for construction....took note of my coat and made a compliment. They mentioned that although they had no idea who designed the coat I was wearing...the person who did design the coat had to be incredibly forward-thinking and not entirely classical. They mentioned the coat looked too contemporary and modern...to be something vintage or from many years past.

When I brought to their attention that the coat was made in 1989...by Comme Des Garcons....their last compliment to me was..."it comes as no surprise to realize it's by Comme....it's a label that doesn't merely present fashion and clothes....it's a label that is known for making great art."

 

[margielamike2004]

One of the things I've always admired about Rei....is her insistence on having no desire to please an audience. She designs what she likes and what appeals to her...without a thought or care of anyone's approval or disapproval.

Rei is too wise...not to realize what things sell on the market very well....and which things, don't. She truly doesn't care if the collection she presents...is going to be marketable or not. She refuses to "play it safe" that far too many other designers do.

When she presented that collection a short time ago during summer...for women...where practically every piece in the collection was almost un-wearable....she went ahead and presented it, anyway. I'm sure she realized that the collection was going to be a financial success....but again...she simply didn't care. It was very much like her saying to other designers....."nothing from my collection is marketable...nothing from my collection is safe or easy to wear...nothing from this collection will appease a huge audience...and very few women would actually want to wear any of these pieces....but I went ahead and did it anyway."

Rei has a rebellious spirit...and she's relentless.

 

[softgrey]

SOFTGREY....in regards to the skirt that you own.....from the witches collection....have you ever considered wearing the skirt.....over a pair of pants??

thanks for the idea...
i don't know that over pants is less dramatic though...


anyway- the skirt is so long, that isn't a real option...
well- long in the front and shorter at the back...
with the option to wrap it around and bustle it at the back...

i've seen rei wear long ornamented skirts with just little sneakers and a blazer...
i think the key is that the skirt can be the only weird item in the outfit...
the rest has to be toned down...more casual...
only could find tiny pics...
style.com

mike- your jacket sounds like a great item...and, yes, completely timeless...
you are lucky to have something from the 80's...


*collection pics from style.com
*rei from pinterest/corey mah

 

[softgrey]

and---i just saw that the cdg PLAY line is available at jcrew...!!!
...

i confess...
i really really really really love that silly heart logo...
.........

 

[runner]

That's one of the things I've always loved about CDG....and that it was never focused on being a commercial label. Although Rei posted advertisements in fashion magazines, and such...and it wasn't very often that the clothes were represented. Most of the adverts consisted of presenting lesser known artists, photographers, actors/actresses, etc....kinda like giving other creative people more exposure...and less concern for the labels own gain or profit margins. She was also very much against using logos or corporate branding to garnish familiarity. From my perspective....Comme was never a brand that needed to reply upon cheap marketing ploys to get attention or to make more money...the things she made and the collections she presented....spoke for themselves. Unfortunately, people are less likely to spend 1000 dollars on a piece....that other people are not familiar with...they're more likely to spend their money on a piece that flaunts a labels status...which in turn makes other realize that what they're wearing is very like to be assumed as expensive.

It's one of the reasons why I absolutely can not stand anything from the Play collection. To me...the pieces are way too commercial....the pieces are way too basic....and the pieces are way too over-priced. I'm not going to spend 400 dollars on a navy-blue cardigan...simply because it has a quirky heart patch with eyeballs sewn onto it....when I can actually find a navy-blue cardigan at a vintage store for under 10 dollars. Spending money on anything from the play collection....simply doesn't seem sensible or practical to me....but to each, their own.

yes it used to be like that. it was alright if she was just letting her things speak for themselves and if you receiver received them. but those fortunate days are not anymore. now, dealing only with natural receivers like you is not enough, especially when she wants to continue what she does. she has to do what she doesn't at the same time. without stuff like explanation/advertisement/branding, it is difficult to survive. it's necessary to have people know CdG, to begin with.

the japanese market or more specifically tokyo market used to be fertile and generous enough to make such companies as YY inc alive, no matter how drunk the qualities of a company manager might be, only if a designer is genuinely gifted. but it's severe these days.

and also she has still been trying to win, against male society, status quo, certain sense of values, luxury conglomerates, mainstream, fast fashion...( although half of her brain thinks that she might already have lost, what she said in the asahi interview ). so she opened DSM in ginza, closing 10corsocomo CdG in aoyama, because she has to do fashion as a souvenir, that is, she needs to deal with customers other than natural receivers. and for those who believe in "the name of the rose", she has to do the rose as the name. so you've got PLAY CdG there even if you don't need it at all. she is the person who does beatles CdG while she knows well she will be scolded by certain kind of people.
in the japanese fashion industry, maybe it's only two that are really in the ring. her and tadashi yanai. it seems that the rest is just busy in managing themselves.
anyway she is trying to win against whatever. that's the point since that's what makes her rei kawakubo of CdG.

 

[runner]

Although I have always loved Comme from its earliest beginnings...i might be a huge supporter of Rei's...but there are also times when some of her collections don't appeal to me. I'm not the type of person who admires one particular designer...and claims that EVERYTHING they do, is amazing. It's merely a matter of personal taste...like or dislike.

just to make it clear, those supporters I mentioned the other day are not yes-sayers nor blind. they are quite intimate with their own sales assistant, and talk about the collections frankly. but they are just conscious that CdG is allowed to keep going on by being bought at the retail venue, as long as it is an apparel company.