Jean-Paul Gaultier: Mannequins and the Puppet Master
By Mari Davis & Michelle Taylor
Photos by Javier Mateo

PARIS, Mar 4, 2004/ FW/ --- First, I have to confess that I have a thing for mannequins. So, when I saw mannequins on the Jean-Paul Gaultier show, I immediately gave it a 10, on a 1 – 10 scale, with 10 as the highest. And when I saw the clothes, I gave it an 11.

Gaultier who is a master of the theater on his own right, did something different this season by using live models and mannequins to present his Fall 2004 collection.

Last night Carreau du Temple was transformed into a puppet theater where puppeteers led the models and mannequins suspended on long strings on the runway.

Some of the mannequins were realistic while the others were just human forms without a face. In both cases, Jean-Paul Gaultier decided to cover their faces with a shroud, emphasizing their anonymity.

Whether the designer planned it or not, he gave his audience a history lesson when fashion was actually dissimilated through “fashion dolls” which can be as small as 18 inches to life size.

Though no one is credited with the invention of the mannequin, the French have been given that honor by historians because it was at the court of Marie-Antoinette where “fashion dolls,” the progenitors of the modern mannequin originated.

Fashion dolls were so important during the Middle Ages that a person carrying the precious doll can cross enemy lines. France and England might be at war, but the aristocratic ladies still need to know what was the latest in fashion, hence the fashion doll courier was given special dispensation.

That proves that fashion shaped the political of history of Europe indirectly. Go figure!

Back to fashion… In a collection that looked more like a retrospective instead of a new collection, Jean-Paul Gaultier proposed four-piece suits (including a kilt) in gray pinstripe with matching boots, leggings with sexy boudoir side stitching for Fall.

Trench coats in aged fabric featuring raincoat detailing in some of them is something a lady will want during those cold and sometimes rainy autumn nights.

In Paris season where fashion history seems to be the common theme among the fashion houses, Jean-Paul Gaultier’s choice of featuring mannequins as an important part of history is most welcome.

In this high-tech age where computer generated images have replaced the age-old tradition of puppets in representing the human form, Gaultier brought to the forefront one of France’s biggest contribution to fashion – the mannequin.

Jean-Paul Gaultier

Jean-Paul Gaultier

Jean-Paul Gaultier

Jean-Paul Gaultier