The unveiling of the new season's collections at London's Dover Street Market last weekend attracted quite a crowd for early on a Saturday morning. Groovy parents, stylish kids in tow, rubbed shoulders with fashion students eager to check out the reworked boutique spaces--they change drastically twice a year--at Rei Kawakubo's sprawling six-floor, multi-brand store. From Alber Elbaz's faux red-carpet scene (featuring Lanvin-clad mannequins posing behind a velvet rope, all clutching plush Yorkshire terriers) to Hussein Chalayan's spare space (which showcases pieces hanging from a rope knotted between spindly tree trunks), the displays did not disappoint. Punk artist Jamie Reid, who designed album covers for the Sex Pistols, has even plastered the store's windows with slogans such as "lies, lies, lies," and "God save our yobs" (Brit slang for ruffians).
One of the most intriguing vignettes is in the basement, where Paris-based artist Katerina Jebb is selling vintage clothing--all in varying shades of white--among a series of strange objects. The display's centerpiece includes an eerie, worn-out child mannequin draped in Christian Lacroix jewelry; a prototype of a NASA-designed air purifier and an adult-size dummy wearing a Lacroix haute couture gown.
