Irina Shayk’s 2000s Comme des Garçons Dress Is Inspired by “Bad Taste”

Irina Shayk, currently all over the runways this season, just went deep into the archives of Paris Fashion Week in search of her latest off-duty outfit. Joining the likes of Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid at Rosalía’s birthday bash, Shayk pulled out an avant-garde minidress from the late-aughts Parisian catwalk last night.

Shayk slipped into an artsy polka-dotted number from Rei Kawakubo’s fall 2008 collection for Comme des Garçons. Her dress featured a jagged hemline, the odd pop of red fabric, and a 3D appliqué designed in the shape of lips. The dress was given an even more severe silhouette thanks to a handful of black belt straps that cinched her waist. The runway star styled her archival find with thigh-high black boots, a faux fur coat that she kept at her side, and dramatic graphic eyeliner.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a signature Irina look without at least a hint of skin. While the front of her dress looked fairly standard (at least by CDG standards), the side was completely slit open. The risky detail allowed for a peek at the model’s matching black bra and thong. Not only did the belts provide some shape at the waist, they also laced over Irina’s side to connect the front and backsides of the dress.

For her fall 2008 collection, Kawakubo presented a lineup of cotton candy–colored pinks and blues, dresses with frilly garter straps, and plenty of polka dots and leopard print to go around. Shayk’s dress was sent down the runway with some kitschy styling choices: The model wore a fuzzy animal-print bucket hat, long braided hair, and black rain boots. The runway dress featured a criss-cross neck detail, which Shayk’s version was missing.

At the time, Kawakubo talked to reporters about the collection and its zany pairings and pattern clashing. “There's value in bad taste, too. This is Comme des Garçons bad taste,” she said. If anyone can make bad taste look this good, it’s Irina Shayk.