Paris Fashion Week: At Comme des Garcons, damsels of deconstruction

Avant garde Japanese designer Rei Kawakubo showed her spring-summer 2013 Comme des Garcons collection Saturday afternoon underneath one of the docks on the Seine at Paris Fashion Week.

PHOTOS: Paris Fashion Week trends

The look: Damsels of deconstruction. Long blond Guinevere-style wigs. Helmets made out of recycled metal junk. White muslin cloth dresses and tops that were assemblages of bustles, ruffles, sleeves and pieces of gold leather biker jackets. Some were worn over plasticky white pleated skirts or cuffed shorts. Jackets came with several other jackets sewn on top. Coats were chopped up and repurposed into dresses, the hems flipped up so part of the lining was visible on the outside.

The verdict: What did it all mean? Was it a commentary on recycling, on fashion’s tendency to recycle ideas, or perhaps even on fashion excess? Who knows. But with Kawakubo, the joy is trying to guess. She makes us think.

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