PARIS, Feb 16, 2005/ FW/ --- For Fall 2005 – Winter 2006 menswear, Jean-Paul Gaultier takes us on a tour of French elegance with inspirations from the 40s.

This superb collection is a mixture of all things Gaultier and a bit tailoring, which achieve a perfect harmony with its fabrics ranging from tweed and velour, to cottons, knits, gabardines and virgin wool.

In this collection, sweaters in virgin wool with deep ribbing, colors and geometric shapes caress the male torso, as does the long sleeved, crew neck T-shirt also done in virgin wool. This T-shirt has three buttons decorating the left shoulder and can be opened to reveal a hint of a well-toned body.

Gaultier revisits two of his most famous pieces in this collection. The first is a long version of his fetish kilts. This one has leather detailing in lamb’s skin.

Of the second, Gaultier recreates long-sleeved body shirts in printed lucent printed fabrics. Any of them could be easily matched with his gorgeous two-toned pants in brown wool and black gabardine. These pants are among the many must-haves this collection.

The pants with wide waistband buttons for suspenders capture the elegance of menswear during the forties.

Gaultier’s black sailor’s coat with white trim and red lining is very attractive and wearable. However, it is his raincoat with double and triple stitching details and slanted pockets that nearly came home this very day with me, as did the light windbreaker in white. It is short cropped to the waist.

I also loved the black neck-less top in knit. It clings to the pectorals, while it simultaneously embellishes the shoulders. It should prove to be a top motivation for getting more men to visit the gyms and to start pumping some more iron.

Jean Paul Gaultier

Jean Paul Gaultier

Jean Paul Gaultier

Jean Paul Gaultier