Kerry Taylor Auctions is excited to announce the sale of a substantial collection of Comme des Garçons garments from the collection of preeminent vintage specialist: dot COMME. All pieces come from the dot Comme archive and ‘new to market’ having not been offered for sale on their website before.
With over 265 lots on offer that begin with the brand’s inception in the 1970s and continues through important and influential pieces from the first runway shows in Paris in the 1980s, radical designs from important runway shows in the 1990s and 2000s, and into explosive, colourful ensembles from the 2010s. Never has an auction provided such an expansive overview of one of the world’s most expressive and innovative fashion brands.
Rei Kawakubo is one of the most influential figures in contemporary fashion and the founder of Comme des Garçons, the groundbreaking Japanese label established in 1973. Renowned for her radical, avant-garde approach to design, Kawakubo has consistently challenged traditional ideas of beauty, silhouette, and garment construction. Her visionary work has reshaped the fashion industry, inspiring generations of designers through its creativity, innovation, and intellectual rigor.
It is exceptionally rare to encounter pieces from Comme des Garçons’ formative years in the 1970s, before Rei Kawakubo’s landmark Paris debut in 1981 brought the brand to international attention. Even more remarkable is the presentation of 18 lots from this pivotal period, an unprecedented offering that provides a unique insight into the label’s early development.
Alongside these, the auction offers several pieces from Comme de Garçon’s first presentation in Paris, as well as other key collections from the 1980s that pushed fashion construction to new limits. In 1982, Rei Kawakubo described her loose fitting designs as being suitable for ‘the bag lady of New York’, and just a few years later her ingenious bias cut dresses clung to the body in a fashion that would have impressed even Madeleine Vionnet.
From the mid 1990s onwards Kawakubo’s designs became increasingly colourful, experimental and bold. Key collections include , ‘Broken Bride’, Autumn-Winter 2005-06; ‘Flowering Clothes’, Autumn-Winter 1996-97; ‘Transformed Glamour’, Autumn-Winter 1999-2000; and ‘Body Meets Dress – Dress Meets Body’, Spring-Summer 1997– all of which are well represented in the sale.
A protégé of Comme des Garçons founder Rei Kawakubo, Junya Watanabe launched his eponymous line in the early 1990s and has become known for blending avant-garde creativity with exceptional craftsmanship. His work often explores experimental fabrics, technical construction, and unexpected collaborations, earning him a reputation as one of fashion’s leading pioneers of “techno-couture”.
Alongside the women’s lines, we are also offering 16 menswear ensembles dating from 1983-2013.
dot COMME is a specialist dealer of Japanese fashion. The founder Octavius La Rosa is considered an authority on Comme de Garcons and has been obsessively collecting the brand for over 17 years. Octavius has operated a store in Melbourne for the past 15 years and will soon be relocating to a new premises. In addition, he has hosted several pop-up spaces in Paris and has recently established a permanent location in Saint-Germain. The complete 4,000 piece dot Comme archive will be moving from Melbourne to Paris this Autumn - creating an invaluable resource for research in the fashion world’s capital city. Octavius has now decided to part with a significant part of his collection, to create space for new acquisitions, and connect with his following in an innovative way.
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Lot 188 - A Comme des Garçons black silk dress, ‘Square’ collection, Autumn-Winter 2003-04
Lot 189 - A Comme des Garçons skirt ensemble, 'Abstract Excellence' collection, Spring-Summer 2004
Lot 194 - A Comme des Garçons multi-tartan ensemble, ‘Lost Empire’ collection, Spring-Summer 2006
Lot 195 - A Comme des Garçons floral print dress, ‘Lost Empire’ collection, Spring-Summer 2006
Lot 196 - A Comme des Garçons blue wool suit, ‘Persona’ collection, Autumn-Winter 2006-07
Lot 198 - A Comme des Garçons brown and pink ensemble, ‘Cacophony’ collection, Spring-Summer 2008
Lot 201 - A Comme des Garçons blue ruffled dress, ‘Cacophony’ collection, Spring-Summer 2008
Lot 204 - A Comme des Garçons geodesic ensemble, ‘Tomorrow’s Black’ collection, Spring-Summer 2009
Lot 206 - A Comme des Garçons pink felt ensemble, ‘2 Dimensions’ collection, Autumn-Winter 2012-13
Lot 207 - A Comme des Garçons asymmetric black dress, ‘Crush’ collection, Spring-Summer 2013
Lot 208 - A Junya Watanabe/Comme des Garçons wool and lamé ensemble, Autumn-Winter 1995-96
Lot 209 - A Junya Watanabe/Comme des Garçons black satin suit, Autumn-Winter 1995-96
Lot 211 - A Junya Watanabe/Comme des Garçons burgundy and grey woven suit, Spring-Summer 1996
Lot 212 - A Junya Watanabe/Comme des Garçons pink and green dress, Spring-Summer 1996
Lot 213 - A Junya Watanabe/Comme des Garçons slashed tartan wool dress, Spring-Summer 1996
Lot 214 - A Junya Watanabe/Comme des Garçons patterned ensemble, Spring-Summer 1996
Lot 215 - A Junya Watanabe/Comme des Garçons pink 'paper' dress, Spring-Summer 1996
Lot 216 - A Junya Watanabe/Comme des Garçons black cotton cloak, Autumn-Winter 1996-97
Lot 218 - A Junya Watanabe/Comme des Garçons red wool and satin dress, Autumn-Winter 1996-97
Lot 219 - A Junya Watanabe/Comme des Garçons red wool-blend cardigan, Autumn-Winter 1996-97
Lot 220 - A Junya Watanabe/Comme des Garçons purple wool dress, Spring-Summer 1997
Lot 222 - A Junya Watanabe/Comme des Garçons pink brocaded rayon coat, Autumn-Winter 1997-98
Lot 223 - A Junya Watanabe/Comme des Garçons black pinstriped wool dress, Autumn-Winter 1997-98
Lot 226 - A Junya Watanabe/Comme des Garçons pleated green wool dress, Autumn-Winter 1998-1999
Lot 227 - Junya Watanabe/ Comme des Garçons reversible dress, Spring-Summer 2000
Lot 229 - A Junya Watanabe/Comme des Garçons patchwork denim ensemble, Spring-Summer 2002
Lot 230 - A Junya Watanabe/Comme des Garçons denim and printed cotton ensemble, Spring-Summer 2002
Lot 231 - A pair of Junya Watanabe/Comme des Garçons black cotton salopettes, Spring-Summer 2003
Lot 232 - A Junya Watanabe/Comme des Garçons grey shirred cotton dress, Autumn-Winter 2002-03
Lot 233 - A Junya Watanabe/ Comme des Garçons printed cotton dress, Spring-Summer 2003
Lot 234 - A Junya Watanabe/Comme des Garçons zip-embellished black dress, Spring-Summer 2005
Lot 235 - A Junya Watanabe/Comme des Garçons beige gabardine trench ensemble, Spring-Summer 2006
Lot 236 - A Junya Watanabe/Comme des Garçons green, white and black tailcoat, Spring-Summer 2006
Lot 237 - A Junya Watanabe/Comme des Garçons black wool tailcoat, Spring-Summer 2006
Lot 238 - A Junya Watanabe/Comme des Garçons beige cotton gabardine trench coat, Spring-Summer 2006
Lot 239 - A Junya Watanabe/Comme des Garçons army coat ensemble, Autumn-Winter 2006-07
Lot 241 - A Junya Watanabe/Comme des Garçons glen plaid wool coat-dress, Autumn-Winter 2007-08
Lot 242 - A Junya Watanabe/Comme des Garçons printed cotton dress, Spring-Summer 2008
Lot 243 - A Junya Watanabe/ Comme des Garçons pink ramie dress, Spring-Summer 2008
Lot 245 - A Comme des Garçons men's grey wool coat, Autumn-Winter 1995-96
Lot 246 - A Comme des Garçons men's houndstooth wool suit, Autumn-Winter 1996-97
Lot 247 - A pair of Comme des Garçons men's grey wool kilt-trousers, Autumn-Winter 1998-99
Lot 248 - A Comme des Garçons men's black and white ruffled 'Inside Out' coat, Spring-Summer 1999
Lot 249 - A Comme des Garçons men's black and tartan wool-blend suit, Autumn-Winter 2000-01
Lot 251 - A Comme des Garçons men's psychedelic print wool suit, Autumn-Winter 2001-02
Lot 252 - A Comme des Garçons men's orange and white cotton suit, Spring-Summer 2002
Lot 253 - A Comme des Garçons men's reversible cotton suit, Spring-Summer 2004
Lot 254 - A Comme des Garçons men's ensemble, 'Lost Englishman' collection, Autumn-Winter 2004-05
Lot 255 - A Comme des Garçons men's black and pink wool and satin suit, Spring-Summer 2005
Lot 256 - A Comme des Garçons men's Rolling Stones print brushed rayon suit, Spring-Summer 2006
Lot 257 - A Comme des Garçons men's printed brown and white striped cotton suit, Spring-Summer 2007
Lot 258 - A Comme des Garçons men's burgundy and green tartan wool suit, Autumn-Winter 2008-09
Lot 259 - A Comme des Garçons men's brown and red plaid cotton suit, Spring-Summer 2010
Lot 260 - A Comme des Garçons men's mustard yellow and brown ensemble, Autumn-Winter 2013-14
