comme ci, comme ca

rei kawakubo, what would paris be without you? always a standout collection, a/w 09-10 was no different.

the collection seemed to veer between staid masculinity and soft femininity: asymmetrical greatcoats - complete with printed shirt fronts or tribal emblems - shared the runway with casual pieces covered with swathes of tulle in the lightest of pinks, and oversized a-line coats looked as if they were fashioned from a favourite grandmother's carpet.

Layering was, as it has been for many seasons now, key. Kawakubo bucked the usual trend by playing with structure, silhouette and volume: tight cropped double-breasted jackets reigned in drapes and folds of long lengths of large-scale flannel.

There were echoes of military here too, mostly in the palette, which also comprised of camel, beige, and the jettest of black - with jaunty magenta headpieces adding a touch of the eccentric.

I think what makes comme such an interesting label is that it always manages to translate itself to the commercial, regardless of how avant-garde it may appear on the runway. New York designers - you may like to take note.