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 5 - A Comme des Garçons brown and blue tartan cotton dress, 1970s
Lot 11 - A Comme des Garçons black and teal checked linen sleeveless top, 1970s
Lot 12 - A Comme des Garçons blue cotton moleskin shirt-dress, 1970s
Lot 14 - A Comme des Garçons brown sheer linen double-breasted top, 1970s
Lot 17 - A Comme des Garçons white and beige checked cotton ensemble, 1970s
Lot 19 - A Comme des Garçons green and grey cotton ensemble, circa 1980
Lot 21 - A Comme des Garçons Western-inspired navy cotton drill jumpsuit, circa 1980
Lot 23 - A Comme des Garçons black and white knitted three-piece ensemble, circa 1980
Lot 24 - A Comme des Garçons knitted green wool sweater, early 1980s
Lot 26 - A Comme des Garçons blue and green cotton ensemble, early 1980s
Lot 30 - A Comme des Garçons grey and beige wool ensemble, early 1980s
Lot 32 - A Comme des Garçons grey hemp dress, probably Spring-Summer 1981
Lot 33 - A Comme des Garçons navy cotton ensemble, probably Spring-Summer 1981
Lot 34 - A pair of Comme des Garçons black cotton dungarees, circa 1981
Lot 35 - A Comme des Garçons black wool ensemble, ‘Pirates’ collection, Autumn-Winter 1981-82
Lot 36 - A Comme des Garçons wool and cotton ensemble, ‘Pirates’ collection, Autumn-Winter 1981-82
Lot 37 - A Comme des Garçons wool and cotton ensemble, ‘Pirates’ collection, Autumn-Winter 1981-82
Lot 39 - A Comme des Garçons wool and cotton ensemble, ‘Pirates’ collection, Autumn-Winter 1981-82
Lot 41 - A Comme des Garçons wool jersey ensemble, ‘Pirates’ collection, Autumn-Winter 1981-82
Lot 51 - A Comme des Garçons navy wool jersey pinafore skirt, circa 1982
Lot 53 - A Comme des Garçons black and grey spotted wool dress, circa 1982
Lot 56 - A Comme des Garçons ink blue cotton jersey top, circa 1982
Lot 57 - A Comme des Garçons black knitted cotton sweater, circa 1982
Lot 62 - A Comme des Garçons dark blue satin ensemble, ‘Holes’ collection, Autumn-Winter 1982-83
Lot 63 - A Comme des Garçons grey speckled wool jacket, ‘Holes’ collection, Autumn-Winter 1982-83
Lot 64 - A Comme des Garçons black wool dress, probably ‘Holes’ collection, Autumn-Winter 1982-83
Lot 65 - A Comme des Garçons speckled grey wool jacket, ‘Holes’ collection, Autumn-Winter 1982-83
Lot 71 - A Comme des Garçons black wool-blend jersey dress, circa 1983
Lot 73 - A Comme des Garçons black wool-blend jersey dress, circa 1983
Lot 74 - A Comme des Garçons blue, grey and black checked wool sweater circa 1983
Lot 86 - A Comme des Garçons black cotton robe, ‘Round Rubber’ collection, Spring-Summer 1984
Lot 90 - A Comme des Garçons black and grey wool ensemble, circa 1984
Lot 91 - A Comme des Garçons black knitted wool vareuse sweater, circa 1984
Lot 92 - A Comme des Garçons beige cotton and wool open-knit sweater, circa 1984
Lot 92A - A Comme des Garçons outsized blue knitted cotton jacket, circa 1984
