Ensemble
Tao Kurihara, like John Galliano and Alexander McQueen, is a graduate of the prestigious fashion program of Central St. Martins in London. She was mentored at Commes des Garçons and, as a protégé of Rei Kawakubo and Junya Watanabe, was given her own label in 2005. Kurihara's first designs expanded on the leitmotif of sweet femininity that expresses itself intermittently in the collections of Commes des Garçons by playing with the notion of combining knitwear and lingerie.
For her spring/summer 2007 collection, Kurihara juggled another unexpected pairing with her premise of "a shirt and a wedding." As an originating conceit, it allowed for an exploration of subtly masculine and explicitly feminine elements, beautifully juxtaposed. The collection, executed completely in white, ended with bridesmaids in fine gauged silk-knit polo shirts and crinoline hooped skirts of shredded paper. As Cathy Horyn described the conclusion of the show, "The more elaborate skirts, including the bridal number, made a huge heart-pounding rustle, as if to say 'She's coming!'"
The designer prefers to let the work speak for itself and would rather that the viewer or the wearer be left free to feel what they like, liberated from preconceived notions and fashion sound bites.
For her spring/summer 2007 collection, Kurihara juggled another unexpected pairing with her premise of "a shirt and a wedding." As an originating conceit, it allowed for an exploration of subtly masculine and explicitly feminine elements, beautifully juxtaposed. The collection, executed completely in white, ended with bridesmaids in fine gauged silk-knit polo shirts and crinoline hooped skirts of shredded paper. As Cathy Horyn described the conclusion of the show, "The more elaborate skirts, including the bridal number, made a huge heart-pounding rustle, as if to say 'She's coming!'"
The designer prefers to let the work speak for itself and would rather that the viewer or the wearer be left free to feel what they like, liberated from preconceived notions and fashion sound bites.
Artwork Details
- Title: Ensemble
- Design House: tao Comme des Garçons (Japanese, founded 2005)
- Designer: Tao Kurihara (Japanese, born 1973)
- Date: spring/summer 2007
- Culture: Japanese
- Medium: (a) silk; (b) paper; (c, d) cotton; (e, f) leather
- Credit Line: Gift of Comme des Garçons, 2007
- Object Number: 2007.382.2a–f
- Curatorial Department: The Costume Institute
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Multiple artists/makers
spring/summer 2006
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spring/summer 2017
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Jun Takahashi
fall/winter 2017–18
Junya Watanabe
fall/winter 2009–10
Hanae Mori
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