There was a lightheartedness about the boys on Comme des Garçons’ runway today. The show began with a deconstructed tailored jacket, matched with flowing superhero print trousers, and topped with a large dinosaur head mask. It felt like watching young boys playing dress-up, still in their pajamas, but being urged outside by their parents. The prints evolved into fragments of the city with concrete, brick, terrazzo, birds-eye helicopter views, and more, before vanishing completely and giving way to all-white outfits. The dinosaur heads were removed to reveal long, center-parted hair loosely tied back with ribbons. The boys’ fresh faces made them look androgynous. It was more a commentary on youth and innocence than on gender fluidity.
Kawakubo’s boys, once revealed from beneath the masks, now wore thermoformed grid padded armor-like jackets and coats paired with candy-colored tracksuit bottoms. The jackets and pants were twisted, a theme that has been emerging this season, with zippers on the trouser legs spiraling up the body like a Helter Skelter. The dress-up vibe continued with jackets cut open in large circles at the back, cascading in layers like a ladybug’s wings, allowing for easy access: no need to unbutton these jackets to get into them.
Was it Peter Pan syndrome, or a commentary on the innocence of youth? Has the digital age prevented our children from living out their carefree youth, forcing them to grow up too fast? Whatever was on Rei Kawakubo’s mind, one thing was certain: we can always take time to appreciate dinosaurs and cartoons.