It's so apt that Rei Kawakubo managed to find a show space in the Place Vendrôme that was completely stripped bare. Its stark concrete ceiling and pillars were a firm contrast to the opulence and richness of the luxury shop fronts and the imposing Vendôme Column outside - but that's Comme, a change in tide, there to flip the season around halfway through the Paris shows. It was a worthy venue for the collection, which also stripped back finery to its bare bones by deconstructing tailoring. At its most direct this saw sleeves and jacket panels peeled back like a loose strip of wallpaper to reveal a fresh, new piece underneath. Other looks saw up to three jackets worn on top of each other. But isn't that what Comme stands for - depth?
This was a lesson in layers, and how we get dressed. There seemed to be nods to past sartorial customs and traditions, such as in the extra long layers of 'ghost fabric' that echoed styles and cuts that we no longer see on the street - so tails of made from a translucent version of the shirting fabric from the same looks. The fabrics in the collection, including multiple different tartans and bright, acidic florals, could have almost been gift paper, fitting given how Kawakubo had wrapped up each model. Eventually, each boy began to resemble a matryoshka doll - you wanted to peel each layer away like an onion and see what really lay at the heart.
