It has been four months since Jean Paul Gaultier brought his ready-to-wear business to a close with all the pomp and circumstance fit for a designer of his magnitude. Couture is his brand’s main focus now and he began this new adventure with a collection centered around saying “I Do” — a phrase women the world over are already well-versed in uttering at the sight of just about anything Gaultier.
Titled “61 Façons de Se Dire Oui” or 61 Ways To Say Yes, the assortment went above and beyond the average Couture collection’s sole showstopping bridal gown with five dozen looks dedicated to the theme. From tulle-accented numbers with off-the-shoulder silhouettes, nipped-in waists, and full skirts to artful cutout designs that bore much more skin than any bride should ever show to her loved ones, the designs were never in a deficit of Gaultier’s trademark wit and creativity.
There aren’t many things Gaultier loves more than menswear and that influence shined through in double-breasted, contrast lapel blazers, silky Saturday Night Fever-inspired trousers, a white suit for the ladies who plan on channeling Bianca Jagger on their wedding day, and a tuxedo maxi dress with one short sleeve and one long for a touch of the brand’s signature asymmetry.
A taste of the exotic came by way of python — a skin a bride should use in small doses if she is bold enough to wear it at all. A long beaded cardigan in the pattern of the snake skin, a natural-hued floor-length coat, white trousers, and a sultry black and red sequin frock mimicking the print looked about as ready-to-wear as its gets, though the Couture quality was all in the craftsmanship.
Some of the looks veered on the side of absurdity and they were no surprise, as Gaultier loves poking fun at the conventions and oft uptight nature of the fashion industry whenever possible. A beekeeper hat and overall-inspired tulle bottom gown could serve as fodder for comedians for months to come, while a roller set updo fashioned after a wedding cake (bride and groom atop it and all) could actually win first prize at any hair show.
Nothing quite broke the mold here, but Gaultier is fashion’s resident party committee king and he threw quite the fête here. Couture doesn’t have a laser focus on functionality, but instead on uniqueness, and we can say he delivered quite an individual collection, and then some.
Thoughts on the latest from Jean Paul Gaultier?
Images: Style.com
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