As was clear from the outset, this Tao show was all about circles. Held in the Comme des Garçons Aoyama HQ, as has become customary for Tao Kurihara’s eponymous label, it began with giant gingham circles patched together in baby pink and blue to form voluminous tops and skirts. Round details followed in almost every look, from rounded hems and wavy back yokes on red and black tailoring, to clown-colored dresses, and skirts layered under circular shearling tops.
All of this circularity was prompted by the softly abstract paintings of Dutch artist Ruth van Beek, which often feature cutout shapes in pastel colors. “I incorporated her signature motif—the circle—into garment patterns, using it as a foundation to explore new forms in clothing,” read the show notes, short and sweet as usual. It was given the title “Abstract Shape.” Among the many textures were prints of giant polka dots that contained checked patterns within; a kind of geometric opposition held within the ovular silhouettes that unfolded under candy floss hair, and hats that bubbled upwards and looked like flower petals.
The circle is, of course, loaded with philosophical meaning: eternity, the cyclical nature of life, a halo, an egg. In genetic family trees, females are represented by circles, and Van Beek, for her part, has said that the reason she returns to a circle or oval shape in her work is that it “feels very human.” Had Kurihara pondered all of this as she designed? Or were the “new forms” on the runway simply a comprehensive study in pattern making?
Either way, it was an especially bright and playful collection, even by Tao’s standards, complemented by a soundtrack that drifted from folksy bells into synth-soaked trombones. Kurihara may remain somewhat hidden away in the larger Comme apparatus, but her talent dazzles nonetheless.
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