CDG Black turns morosity into positivity
NEW YORK — While others celebrate their 40th anniversaries in grand ballrooms festooned with everything ruby, leave it to legendary Japanese designer Rei Kawakubo to commemorate hers with all things black.
Hot on the heels of the success of her megabrand, Comme des Garçons’ collaboration with retail giant H&M, Kawakubo gifts her devotees with a timely collection simply named Black.
Always one to innovate and be ahead of the fashion curve, the shops are said to be Kawakubo’s way to “introduce ‘positive energy’ in hard times.”
“Rei said she wanted (Black) to last as long as the recession lasts,” Adrian Joffe, Kawakubo’s husband and chief executive officer of Comme des Garçons International, told Women’s Wear Daily. “It’s turning morosity into positivity. We can’t just sit there and cry.”
Unlike the launch of last year’s CDG x H&M diffusion line, the nondescript store on the corner of 17th Street and 10th Avenue opened without much fanfare.
Sparsely decorated with whitewash walls, stark black panels, five racks of clothing and one fitting room, the diminutive Black CDG freestanding store sits right under New York’s recently opened elevated park, the High Lin, five blocks down from the “regular” Comme store.
Not much foot traffic going on just yet. That’s fine by Comme groupies. With products priced at 40 percent less than regular Comme goods, fanatics would want to keep it that way — all for themselves.
Items are tagged somewhere in between the CDG x H&M collection and the regular Comme line, with prices ranging from about $80 to $160 for T-shirts and about $330 to $660 for jackets.
The Black collection includes a range of new, updated and familiar CDG silhouettes in the usual fabrics and finishes. Signature prints and patterns like polka dots, gingham, and checkerboard are ubiquitous, as well.
And yes, Comme fans, the trademark pants and half-skirt combo makes its appearance in two styles — pleated and tiered (both $360).
Drop-crotch trousers (aka sarouel/harem/MC Hammer pants) abound and come in different fabrics and drop lengths. From a lightweight cotton twill version to a silky-satin permutation, prices start at $250 and go up to $400.
What looks like a reissue of the CDG x H&M washed polyester jacket with asymmetrical zip fetches $640, while a jacket with scalloped detail and swallowtails goes for a hefty $660.
The black and white polka-dotted cotton T-shirt with the unfinished hem and the word “black” printed in four varying sizes is the cheapest find at $80. You’ll have to fork over $120 if it’s the slinky fabric variant you want.
Staple polka dotted and gingham button-down dress shirts go for around $140, while checkered short-sleeved cardigans and sweaters, $260.
The designs (and their respective fits) are very democratic. I am not your “typical” Asian with a whistle-bait figure; the word “slim” does not apply to me. So imagine my delight when I found my sizes — bottoms that flatter, and most importantly, fit. And how.
There are silk skirts with frills on the side and elastic waists ($220 to $330). I have to admit, I didn’t really want to go there (garter-ville, that is; elastic equals granny pants) but the sales associates egged me on. So try it on for size, I did. I’m not really into skirts. But when I put that baby on, I became a convert.
Tops run small. If you’re well endowed, you might have to hold off on these items. Shirts labeled XL fit like an average M. No vanity sizing here.
Though all items are meant for women, most of the merchandise is unisex.
If it’s accessories you’re looking for, tough luck. There’s only one, for now — a black patchwork tarpaulin shopper with top handles and one inner pocket. Think Freitag gone guerrilla. At $260 for the medium and $310 for the larger one, it’s a better and more chic alternative to the Swiss original.
New styles will be rolled out every six weeks. Now do the math — in 18 months, that’s 12 cycles. Warning: danger ahead. This concept of “speed merchandising” works wonders for our shopping fancy but will surely dent (or damage) the bank. So choose wisely.
A total of 11 freestanding stores in New York, Paris, Japan, London, Hong Kong and Korea have opened since June 22, as have two-week shop-in-shop stores at Barneys New York and Colette in Paris.
