Inherited Garments: Karalyn Hosier

Item: Comme des Garçons Fall Winter 2019 dress.

Photographed by Jane Lewis

Jane Lewis: This dress means a lot more than just a dress.

Karalyn Hosier: Yes. 

J: Can you describe the item?

K: It has this classic A-line, really elegant, ball gown shape to it. It has these beautiful pleats up the back. However, when you put it on, it's extremely boxy and not flattering whatsoever. The curves, the waistline, it's supposed to flatter the female figure, but the whole Comme des Garçons brand ethos is androgynous. So it's kind of ironic—a little bit tongue in cheek, this dress—because it's this classic, elegant style, but it doesn't fit that way. It has this cut where my shape is completely swallowed. You can't see my figure underneath the dress. It also has this CDG print all over it.

J: Is it printed?

K: It's sparkly, it says CDG. It’s kind of a mockery of the logo mania in a sense, because CDG is so not aligned with that aesthetic. It's an ironic piece, that's what I love about it. I've had fun styling it. I'll wear baggy t-shirts under it that almost get scrunched in the armpit where it's fitting improperly, and I'll wear loose, roughed up trousers underneath that are kind of dirty, not super nice. There’s a contrast of a beautiful, elegant dress with a big t-shirt and messy pants underneath. 

J: You're also emphasizing the style of the dress, which is—it's not a Dior, nipped waist, big skirt. And so you're like, “okay, let's just take the oversized, wrongness of it and do even more.”

K: Exactly. I feel like when I style it that way, I'm fulfilling the Comme des Garçons prophecy.  That's what I love about the brand is you can't really go wrong when you're styling. I gravitate towards the brand because I feel like no matter how I style something, it just works. It's supposed to be wrong, to not make sense. When I'm getting dressed in the morning, I value simplicity and ease. Comme allows me to do that because I don't have to overthink.

J: Do you know the season that it's from? 

K: I believe it's from 2019. I can check the tag. That's the beauty of Comme, too, is that they have the year on the tag of all of their garments. It makes it more special. It's like your child and you know its birthday.

JL: Remind me of how this came into your hands. 

K: I started my dream job recently as a young fashion student in New York City at this amazing, extremely well curated vintage store on Orchard Street called Pilgrim. The two store owners, Richard and Brian gifted this to me. They had it in back stock for a while, and were going to donate it. Occasionally, they'll let me pick through a couple items and if I don't want something, they'll give it away.

J: They give clothes away?

Photographed by Jane Lewis

K: This is something that my boss, Richard, has talked a lot about. He'll give clothes to people he knows will use them, or to causes where he knows exactly where they're going. We donate a lot to Housing Works. When you donate or give clothes away to random thrift stores, you still don't know where it's going. And I feel like, as a vintage store, if your values are based on sustainability and circularity, giving to random thrift stores and not knowing where it's ending up is not a great practice. They are very specific about who they give their stuff to, making sure it ends up somewhere where it's going to be used, and where someone will actually wear the item and it won't get thrown away.

J: So did you feel a bit honored when they gave this to you?

K: I did, I was so excited. As a young fashion girl in New York City, to be given a Comme des Garçons dress for free is a dream. I also don't have a lot of spending money to buy myself these things whenever I want, so it's definitely exciting and a big perk.

J: Do you know the story of how they found it? How do they usually source their clothes? 

K: They source from showrooms typically in Paris and Japan. A lot of it has never been worn, vintage or archive designer. Everything is in pristine condition. 

J: How long have you had it? 

K: Only a month or so. I wore it to work the other day. I put a black t-shirt over it, and I wore some boots, so I was wearing it as a skirt more so than a dress. But I'm excited to wear this in the summertime, just as-is, super oversized, this really wide neck with a pair of flip flops. I just love the ideology of Comme des Garçons, the experimental and pushing boundaries, and styling things however you want, whatever feels right. 

J: And do you have a specific memory that you associate with this?

K: I've only worn it, I think, once so far. I wore it with a t-shirt over it. I got lots of compliments that were like, “I like your skirt.” I was like, “no, no, no, it’s a dress. “

J: “Let me take my shirt off so you can see!”

K: Yes! But I don't really have any memories with it. I'm excited to create some.

Photographed by Jane Lewis