Rei Kawakubo "Comme des Garcons" at the MET Fashion Instit-Incredible Creativity & Construction

Rei Kawakubo (b Japan 1940) is a designer whose couture defies constraints.  The jaw-dropping exhibit of Kawakuo's creations are visionary, thought provoking, sublime, bizarre, otherworldly, and altogether astounding.  The imaginative genius of Kawakubo's designs is dumbfounding.  This is the most arresting and unconventional display of fashion I've yet to experience.  The construction & combination of materials is curious & profound.  There is a visceral & emotional impact to this show that is arresting & thought provoking.  There was a lot of finger pointing & laughter from the crowd. The exhibit is curated into 9 groupings with enigmatic & dichotomous titles such as:  form/function,  design/not design, war/peace, beautiful/grotesque and then/now.  These groupings, along with all the other nomenclatures enhanced my interaction/reaction.  I was staggered by every outfit, wig/headgear, costume and statement which was opened to reflection & fanciful interpretation.   The high/low group:  elite culture/popular culture had outfits with tartan plaids that recalled the phenomenal Alexander McQueen Show at the MET.  Like McQueen, Kawakubo incorporated extraordinary materials, craftsmanship and configurations with with exemplary inventive genius. However, further comparisons to other great designers of "fashion/antifashion" are fallible.  I'm unable to encompass the unique inventiveness in the draping, stitching, materials, fashion epochs, expressions of transitions, muted & bold palettes, etc. that embolden Kawakubo's expansive visions.  Note the formidable architectural layout.  There are circular, cylindrical, rectangular and arched structures in which the clothes are displayed.  Some cases are easily viewed, some have hindered viewing and some are seen on elevated  spaces.  One such showcase "Then/Now Past/Present/Future is enclosed in glass lending a prestigious vantage.  Neon lights angle across the ceiling & there is no audio; an unrequired and welcomed change.  The only videos were 2 small screens on the platform for "Clothes/Not Clothes."  The videos are of Cunningham's dancers performing.wearing the costumes in this showcase.  A father asked his young daughter "How do their clothes change the dancers movements?" "They all move differently, dad, and they're all making their own dances."  Wow.  Despite the constrictions imposed on the body by fashion, it doesn't need to conform or limit how the the body chooses to respond & express itself.