COMME DES GARÇONS COMME DES GARÇONS AUTUMN/WINTER 2015-16 READY-TO-WEAR PARIS FASHION WEEK

Serenity, schoolgirls, and Studio Ghibli. The nature of transcendence and the power of hair spray. Lordy, what topics strafe unbidden through the mind when seated in the temple of CdG. To characterize this “secondary” Rei Kawakubo collection as more wearable than Comme des Garçons proper is entirely accurate, yet might sound residually belittling—it most certainly isn’t.

The fabrics were often synthetic when they looked natural—polyester taffeta in the lace-touched semi-sheer dresses worked over white T-shirts, and polyester jacquard whose pattern was barely visible on deep, dark blue jackets. These were reminiscent of Old English masculine workwear, just as those sailor-collared full-skirted dresses had a whisper of institutional uniform. There was crumple, fray, and aesthetic distress, but without bombast. Prosaic patterns—polka dots, leopard print—were applied to enveloping bell-shaped overcoats. Creased polyester satin jackets—in muted jockey colors—and mandarin-collar dresses added to the arsenal of everyday extraordinary. These clothes bore the radiance of items conceived and then fashioned with infinite care.