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JunyaWantanabe 2003 RunwayLook1 Ruched Parachute Convertible White Dress Gown

About the Item

Junya Wantanabe made this inimitable white ruched floaty sleeveless dress with distinct parachute elements as "Look 1 and 2" (see photos) for the Parisian fashion show debut of his Spring/Summer 2003 collection, which was produced by his design mentor Rei Kawakubo's Japanese brand Comme des Garcons. The stunning combination of contrasts range from romantic-and-combat themes, gathered-and-flowing construction, raw-and-finished seams, soft-and-hard materials, and cutout-and-semi-transparent fabric. Secured on the exterior of the dress with bold silver-metal hardware, the 100%-cotton grosgrain-ribbon parachute-like straps are partly enclosed within multiple diagonal and vertical ruched channels to enable adjustment of the light synthetic-fabric draping and swags, such as for lengthening the dress. Strap ends freely hang from functional hardware on the front of the dress and below the sides as if they could be yanked to release the fabric into a drifty parachute sail. The reverse side of the dress is notable for the ruffled diamond-shaped cutout at the lower back and its framing set of adjustable looped parachute straps with a concealed white plastic buckle, which enables the hitched-up bottom to extend into a train like a dreamy wedding dress. This premiere-catwalk dress is further distinguished from others in Wantanabe's "Parachute Jumper" collection by the complexity of its top. Two ruched straps form an X-shape via metal-hardware at the upper back, extending to the front over the shoulders to form a ruched V-neck with linked straps that highlights your face. The soft folds of the neckline contribute to the raised ruffle collar, as well as flow to the shoulder seams. The hand-cut hem was designed unfinished and meant to fray, although it has not given its minimal wear and very good condition consistent with only age and storage. See our photos of the care/material tags. All tags remain, including from the Italian concept-store 10 Corso Como, where it was purchased in Milan. The "Made in Japan" size is a large-running "S" due to the pullover-style of the dress, which is equivalent to an Italian-size 44 or U.S.-size 6. In addition to wearing as a convertible dress, we recommend that the buyer wear it as an overlay for tuxedo-style dark pants (see our photo; pants not included in this listing), which would emphasize the semi-transparency of the lower dress while enabling the back cut-out to reveal bare skin. The arrangement of ruching on the front of the dress can sufficiently conceal bare breasts. There may be other ways to use the multiple looped ends of the parachute straps to reshape the dress, although we have not tried.

Designer:

Junya Watanabe

Brand:

Comme des Garçons

Dimensions:

Marked Size: S (JP)Shoulder to Hem: 43 in (109.22 cm)

Style:

Parachute Jumper (In the Style Of)

Place of Origin:

Japan

Period:

2000-2009

Condition:

Wear consistent with age and use.

Seller Location:

Chicago, IL

Reference Number:

1stDibs: LU3244218492432

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Comme des Garçons

Comme des Garçons is one of the world’s most innovative and trailblazing fashion brands, helmed by its inimitable founder, Japanese designer Rei Kawakubo (b. 1942), who has a penchant for breaking fashion and cultural norms. The only living designer apart from Yves Saint Laurent to have a retrospective at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, Kawakubo has permanently changed fashion with designs that challenge traditional ideas of beauty with a creative and transgressive exuberance.

After studying art and literature at Keio University in Tokyo, Kawakubo worked as a freelance stylist before establishing her own label in 1973, opening her first store in Tokyo in 1975. Kawakubo has since been instrumental in pioneering many concepts now familiar in contemporary fashion. One of her most iconic moves was her introduction of androgynous styles (Comme des Garçons means “like the boys” in French) with asymmetrical, twisted silhouettes that envelope the body. While she told the New York Times that the “basics of clothing lie in men’s fashion,” Kawakubo believes in the concept of humanness in clothes, such as titling her spring 1995 show “Transcending Gender.” In the 1970s, when color-blocking was the norm, Kawakubo stuck to her monochromatic color palette dominated by shades of black with uncompromising dedication, although with evocative and powerful use of red and white.

Comme des Garçons is also known for an often shocking take on fashion. Deconstructed tailoring, violently slashed fabric and sculptural shapes are some themes that run through the brand’s collections, but Kawakubo never explains the meaning of her conceptual pieces, which fall somewhere between art and fashion. Even though the brand has more commercial offshoots like PLAY, known by the iconic heart motif with eyes, the premier men’s line Homme Plus and the multilabel Dover Street Market that opened in 2004, the essence of Comme des Garçons remains Kawakubo’s otherworldly and undefinable creations, which are impossible to ignore.

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