Comme des Garçons (Rei Kawakubo)
Dress and skirt
Navy blue wool/nylon jersey
Fall 1983, Japan
Gift of Jean Rosenberg, 88.157.3
In this ensemble, Rei Kawakubo has slashed, then re-tied, the dark knit
fabric to create a ragged asymmetry. Kawakubo began showing collections in
Paris in 1981. Although her clothing received criticism for resembling that
of a “rag-picker,” her innovative forms and rejection of Western tradition
gained respect from fashion individualists. The donor of this piece, Jean
Rosenberg, was then Vice President of Henri Bendel and an early advocate of
the Comme des Garçons label.
RIGHT:
Donna Karan
Dress
Black wool knit and suede
Fall 1987, USA
Gift of Roz Gersten Jacobs, 96.11.11
The modern simplicity of this dress is typical of Donna Karan’s work. Karan
designs for clients like herself: women with hectic lives who demand
functional, yet flattering, clothing. Her creations are versatile, often
combining aspects of both sportswear and city styles. After working for over
fifteen years at Anne Klein, Karan started her own label in 1985 – to great
success.