What inspires Rei Kawakubo is one of fashion’s million-dollar questions. The elusive designer once told Vogue that her collections are built around “whatever I am feeling at that moment”; for Spring 2002 that must have been childlike. There was an airy sense of innocence to this show, which at moments leaned toward kawaii. Kawakubo made use of an adorable novelty print featuring pugs. Pugs! There was also a fabric emblazoned with large graphic numbers, like those that might appear in a youngster’s schoolbook. Moreover, plastered to the models’ heads were papier-mâché caps made of newsprint that gave them the look of old-time porcelain Pierrot dolls.
Naive is a word critics often and perhaps too readily apply to Kawakubo’s work, which is as forthright in its deconstruction as it is complicated in conception. This show, with its bows and ruffs, seemed more straightforward than many, save for its title, Ethnic Couture. What does it mean? Could Kawakubo have been referencing Dutch Old Masters or just having fun? Whatever the answer, she made it look as easy as one-two-three.
