REI KAWAKUBO / COMME DES GARCONS : ART OF THE IN-BETWEEN @ MET MUSEUM PART 1

 Rei Kawakubo Comme des Garçons The Art of In-Between at the Metropolitan Museum of Art; Installation View 9.7 Order / Chaos

Limitless. Shocking. Defiant. 
Breaking from the fashion fold, Rei Kawakubo declares independence from the confines of conventional clothes-making and Commes des Garçons headlines her un-commercial, un-apologetic aesthetic. For "outsiders," a blurring of the legible mold of "fashion"--as defined by figure-flattery and templated garments that account for head, legs and arms--is unsettling. When confronted with the "aggressively unattractive," critical commentary eclipses the sheer brilliance of the petite Japanese designer with an understated personality and overstated design sense. The first Monday this May, the Metropolitan Museum of Art opens its annual Costume Institute exhibit honoring a living designer for only the second time (since Diana Vreeland's retrospective of Yves Saint Laurent in 1983). Rei Kawakubo / Commes des Garçons : Art of the In Between is not so much a retrospective as an introspective of the creator and her collections, once shrouded in an enigmatic aura. Keep reading for a look inside...

DOVER STREET MARKET HITS NY IN STYLE

Dover Street Market, Lexington Ave., NYC--Notice how nicely the hair color matches the Adidas shoes on that man!

The bold, the beautiful and the fanciest of New York's fashion fiends flock to Kips Bay this weekend to partake in the public debut of NYC's mega-iteration of London's Dover Street Market (DSMNY). Though shop-in-shops are not novel to the city's style scene, Rei Kawakubo's 'new school' take on this 'old school' concept is markedly revolutionary. With proper planning, the Beaux-Arts building on the corner of Lexington Ave. (and 30th St.) has transformed from an applied design school for women into a luxe shopping paradise, complete with physical and extra-sensory experiences. A hybrid of Anthropologie (decor) and Bergdorf Goodman (merchandise) has emerged, with a touch of Urban Outfitters and Alexander Wang (staff).