Winning the season’s award for the most lo-fi invitation, Rei Kawakubo, founder and head of Comme des Garçons, sent out what resembled a poorly transmitted fax on slippery thermal paper, making a bold statement. Her collection, unusually outspoken, was filled with phrases like ‘The King is Naked Shout Out Aloud’, ‘It’s My Fashion,’ and ‘Pride Before the Fall,’ drawing from Hans Christian Andersen’s cautionary tale, The Emperor’s New Clothes. The well-known story involves a king who hires two weavers to create new attire, but the garments are invisible to those unworthy. In reality, the king is naked, and his courtiers are too scared to speak up until a young boy exclaims, ‘But he isn’t wearing anything at all.’ Just as the courtiers, we are often too afraid to voice the truth, so Kawakubo did it for us. She appeared to be criticizing the current state of fashion, especially designers who receive undue acclaim. The clothes in her collection were ingeniously designed, primarily using transparent plastics, sometimes layered over other garments, but most strikingly as complete outfits, exposing the models in cotton boxers. An interesting section featured prints with collaborative imagery from the Italian decorative-arts company Fornasetti, showcasing their iconic multi-printed faces looking back at us. It felt as though we were both observing and being observed. Kawakubo seemed to be sending a message to those aspiring to her throne: she’s watching, and she still holds her reign supreme.