Object: Suit
Brand:
Comme des Garçons
(Japanese, founded 1969)
Designer:
Rei Kawakubo
(born 1942)
Date: 1998
Medium: Wool twill, leather, and metal
Country: Japan
Credit Line: Museum purchase
Object number: 2005.7.2
DescriptionDeconstructed military jacket and pleated kilt style skirt in army green wool twill; elongated jacket with raw armhole edge, notch collar, buttoned flap bellows pockets at chest, pockt flaps at hip, gold metal buttons; wide matching belt with brass buckle; calf length wrap skirt with accordion pleats irregularly stitched down below raw waist edge, by black leather band extending to tie belt
Label Text:Military uniforms are an important influence on modern women's fashions. The appeal of the uniform is multifaceted. Uniforms, especially military styles, symbolize authority, while also carrying an erotic edge. Uniforms can also function psychologically to maintain a sense of order and protection against the vulnerability of the naked body and the uncertainty of life. This particular ensemble by Comme des Garçons, an avant-garde Japanese label, references the classic American infantry uniform in army green wool. It thus assimilates the wearer to an imagined community of brave young men.
Shown with a man's WWI US Army uniform, 68.146.52
Shown with a man's WWI US Army uniform, 68.146.52
In Collection(s)
Exhibitions:
- Love & War: The Weaponized Woman
- Uniformity