Few designers collapse the boundaries between fashion and art as audaciously as Rei Kawakubo, the visionary force behind Comme des Garçons. In 2017, the Metropolitan Museum of Art mounted a landmark retrospective of her work, Rei Kawakubo / Comme des Garçons: Art of the In-Between, spotlighting the designer’s relentless pursuit of ambiguity, contradiction, and reinvention. This week’s featured kimono-inspired ensemble, however, was photographed as part of the exhibit Kimono Style, featuring items from the collection of John C. Webber.
Continue reading Eye On Design: Rei Kawakubo, Manga-Inspired Kimono Ensemble
Tag Archives: kimono style
Eye On Design: Féminité Silk Taffeta Dress, House of Worth
This lustrous Taffeta Silk Dress (1940) with a zigzag motif was created by Mme. Jacques Worth, the wife of Charles Frederic Worth’s grandson Jacques. In the 20th century, the House of Worth continued its founder’s reinterpretation of historical styles in textile pattern and cut, and commissioned custom-made textiles from Lyonnaise manufacturers such as F. Ducharne Silk Company (1925 – 1940).
Continue reading Eye On Design: Féminité Silk Taffeta Dress, House of Worth
Eye On Design: Kabuki Bomber Jacket by Kansai Yamamoto
Kansai Yamamoto (1944 – 2020) established his business in Tokyo in 1971. His theatrical references and exuberant designs — a Pop response to the West’s nineteenth century fascination with Japanese art — quickly became a favorite with youthful subcultures in London and New York. Continue reading Eye On Design: Kabuki Bomber Jacket by Kansai Yamamoto
Eye On Design: Paris Opera Coat By Paul Poiret
In 1903, French couturier Paul Poiret made his first loose dress with hints of the kimono shape, and by 1906 he had presented his first collection to be worn without a corset. Poiret’s self-confessed lack of sewing skills pushed him to experiment with sculpting fluid garments directly on the body. Continue reading Eye On Design: Paris Opera Coat By Paul Poiret
Eye On Design: Beach Pajamas Circa 1935
Have you heard of Beach Pajamas? I never had until I visited The Met this past weekend and found myself in This Exhibit, which explores the influence of the Japanese Kimono on modern fashion.




