|
|
Photography by Marie-Béatrice Seillant
Jean Paul Gaultier
By Timothy Hagy
Expressively Oriental and Sensuously French
Jean Paul Gaultier is one of the most progressive couturiers, and one
that
consistently provides a sharper vision for the art form. For his spring
collection, he left behind the Golden Triangle of central Paris and
staged
his show on the eastern fringes of a city in an Old Palace beside the
Bois
de Vincennes. He also followed the formula of Emanuel Ungaro, and the
House
of Givenchy, in presenting his pieces in an intimate atmosphere.
10 different cabins were set up with veiled doors, while top models were
made up and changed in a central court, then sent in one by one,
lingering
inches from the fingertips of the line of bourgeois clients and
high-powered
editors that strung along the front rows.
And in a sense, Gaultier's idea worked, for even at the expense of
excluding
a larger public, he proved that up close and personal was best way to
really
appreciate the intricate detail of the 27 pieces, the painstaking
embroideries and cross-stitching of fabrics that define haute couture.
Expressively oriental, this sumptuous collection reflected the
quintessentially Gallic sense of sophistication and refinement,
essentially
plugging a hole that was left with the retirement of Yves Saint Laurent.
Where Gaultier excels is in his working of materials, be that lizard and
python, leather, velvet, or common wool, putting them together
painstakingly, often in tromp l'oeil fashion, to arrive at a series of
masterpieces.
Take the mocha colored cocktail dress worn by Karolina Kurkova, the
outer
skin of python was stitched together with cocoa chiffon that curled and
layered exquisitely.
Elsewhere, a caramel silk kimono gown declined in a lean, elegant
silhouette, and was embroidered with the finesse of an Oriental screen
then
trimmed in gossamer scarlet tulle that formed a wispy train.
Even the majestic draping of a simple velvet suit, the base of the
lapels
tied up with a bow, exhibited such polish.
With so many different labels, often showing a watered down version of
true
couture, this splashing collection offered proof of the power of a true
original.
|
|
