Jean Paul has always been known as one of the worlds finest designers but he is special in his trade as he designs haute couture
which is a privilege instead of a right. If the syndicate chamber haute couture invites you to be a couturier then you are of the highest ranking design talents in the world.
Unfortunately there has been some time since a couture show has included menswear and who better to step to the plate than the man who tests the boundaries of gender and the limitations of design, than Gaultier himself?
Gaultier loves to put on a show. And in case you didn't know that, you could probably deduce it from the acrobat-ninjas that flipped down the runway at the beginning of his Fall collection. The curtains parted to reveal Bond, James Bond, natty in a tuxedo. He did his lap. Then came his successor: Blond. James Blond.
Blond is the androgynous (even by male-model standards) Andrej Pejic, who has lately cast a spell on Gaultier. He teetered down the runway in a shirt unbuttoned to his navel, a pair of stiletto-heeled booties, and a cascade of Veronica Lake curls. The cast of characters that followed could've represented villains or allies, or even 45 different alterna-Bonds.
The show was mainly an exegesis on the tuxedo and its trappings—and when you think about it, it's sort of clever to do it through the lens of Bond, the classic Black Ops in black tie. There was plenty of silliness in the execution, though: Tuxes with hot pants and fishnets, tuxes with long, navy-buttoned skirts, and a whole passage of neoprene jackets and tuxes with wet suits. (Has JPG, like Neil Barrett in Milan, caught a bit of a scuba bug?)
The name Thierry Mugler has hung over Paris like a specter this week, but the gold (as in finger) padded pants and embossed jacket shown here came closer to vintage Mugler than most of what Nicola Formichetti and company sent out for that house's revival.
There were some buyable items scattered throughout (including the new shades Gaultier is making with Alain Mikli, though they looked readier for The Matrix than Moonraker). Whatever else, JPG keeps it interesting—you could say he likes his shtick shaken, not stirred.
Looks careened from tattoo-print knits to hooded sweatshirt vests. Man-woman mashups gave some of the old JPG flavor: There were long kulats that looked half sarong-half pant, long floor-sweeping skirts, and suits overlaid with matching kilts. In an effort to cram even more on more, many models had extra jackets and tops tied around their waists. As they swept past, the wide circumference of their silhouette resembled an elegant ball gown. Somehow that brought you back to those unifying symbols, those man's man hats. And then at the finale, Gaultier tipped his, and the whole cast tossed theirs into the crowd. So much for that.
For his Fall Winter couture collection in Paris Jean Paul showcased a series of looks that were inspired by poet and emoirist Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin also known as George Sand. She was known for running amok and doing horrendously unimaginable things like smoking in public and cross dressing. These terrorized the locals and her reputation was born.
The very same rep that carried on throughout the ages and inspired Gaultier to dress his models like men. Perhaps this was the idea that spawned menswear in his couture show.
Since there already were men’s designs, why not have male models show them off? This show should go down in the history books for driving men to appreciate and purchase haute couture clothing.
The market has had its doors shut to the male audience for so long that even now that the collection has been released it is a wonder if it will sell any pieces?
C heck out the images of Andrej Pejic, who wore both male and female clothing during the runway show. He looks Amazing!
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