What single word, a noun, first comes to mind in reference to the work of Rei Kawakubo? Were that little game of word association posed to people well versed in the career of the brilliant Comme des Garçons designer, who has captivated and confounded for 40-plus years, probably 100 out of 100 would not come up with “joy.” Fascination, provocation, curiosity, difficulty, strangeness, resonance, dissonance, even wonder — yes. But joy, probably not.