Dress with body chains
2018
spring-summer 2019
Medium
synthetic fabric, metal, plastic (fastenings)
Measurements
(a) 155.0 cm (centre back) 40.0 cm (waist, flat) (dress)
(b) 163.4 × 40.0 × 20.0 cm (body chains)
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Purchased, NGV Supporters of Fashion and Textiles, 2021
© Comme des Garçons
Gallery location
Level 3, NGV International
About this work
Dress with body chains signalled the beginning of a new design phase for Kawakubo. It marked the end of a ten-season conceptual endeavour to ‘not make clothes,’ and it was a deeply personal collection about female subjectivity. Tackling themes of restraint, restriction and psychological conditioning, this work echoes early twenty-first-century feminist thought, while also being emblematic of the deconstructed approach to clothing forms at the heart of Kawakubo’s practice.
Artwork Details
Place/s of Execution
Japan
Inscription
(a) label, centre back neckline, printed in ink on white synthetic fabric: COMME des GARÇONS
(b) label, right side, embossed on metal disc: COMME des GARÇONS
Accession Number
2021.29.a-b
Department
International Fashion and Textiles