|
Jean Paul Gaultier: Lady from Shanghai
By Godfrey Deeny
Photos by Gruber-FWD
Click on image to see bigger photo.
Paris, Jul 8, 2001/ FWD/ --- It's a mark of how much couture has changed, when the enfant terrible of
French fashion Jean Paul Gaultier now looks very much a pillar of the French establishment.
Judged by the setting, clientele and fashion ideas, the brilliant collection Gaultier showed Sunday underlined
that the one-time bad boy of the Paris catwalks is now the guardian of couture classicism.
Jean Paul staged his fall/winter 2001 collection in the beautiful 16th arrondissement mansion where the
art patron Marie Laure de Noailles held her famed soirees for Picasso and Cocteau.
His front row was packed
with clients busily scribbling their favorites, for Gaultier's couture shows are not contrived affairs aimed
at cable channel fashion programs but collections designed for real women.
Fortunately, Gaultier remains a great iconoclast. He looked east this season in a collection inspired by
The Lady from Shanghai and The Countess from Hong Kong, but in a suitably fresh manner.
His opening outfit
was a three-piece suit, jacket, kilt and pants with wonderful transparent panels; his third a brilliant
black chiffon vest that morphed into a jacket. It looked great, albeit difficult to comprehend while right
in front of your eyes.
Jean Paul's technical dexterity was also pretty awesome - a sleeveless dress composed of silk mousseline and
tiny strands of mink or a remarkable reversible giant trench coat - gingery rubberized cotton on one side,
chrysanthemum flower embroidery on the other.
Even the head gear was beautiful, as exotic birds and Chinese calligraphy sprouted out of the models. But
for more simple moments, Gaultier sent out a flurry of razor sharp tuxedo suits that had his front row beaming.
All told, a pretty breathtaking performance by Gaultier, composed of clothes plenty of women would just die to wear.
Jean Paul Gaultier Haute Couture
Jean Paul Gaultier Haute Couture
|
