Harold Koda

Rei Kawakubo (born 1942) established Comme des Garçons in Tokyo in 1973 and quickly consolidated her stature as one of the three major Japanese designers alongside Issey Miyake and Yohji Yamamoto. Kawakubo's conceptions stem from her background in fine arts and literature rather than from any formal design training. Her fabrication methods, and her collaborations with artists such as the late, great Merce Cunningham, are explored in this survey of her work. ReFusing Fashion presents over 40 key garments, costumes from Kawakubo's Cunningham collaboration, photographs, runway footage and ephemera.

Armani has been universally credited with both radically changing the rules of contemporary fashion and, by removing excess ornament and translating traditional sportswear looks into business and evening wear, creating a timeless version of modern dress. A wealth of illustrations, including editorial and advertising shots and new, specially commissioned photographs, charts the evolution of Armani's designs from the earliest sketches to their carefully orchestrated presentation as finished work. Celebrated authors from the worlds of fashion, film, art and design analyze the scope of Armani's achievement and his cultural and sociological impact on the ways both women and men dress today. In addition, personal photographs of Armani's houses and travels offer an intimate look at the man behind the fashion legend. Elegant and unprecedented, this lavish volume accompanies a major exhibition at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, exploring the life and work of the highly influential fashion designer Giorgio Armani.