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Quadruple Trompe L'Oeil
By Timothy Hagy
Jean Paul Gaultier showed his inherent wit on Wednesday evening in a multifaceted trompe l'oeil show. Presenting his fall collection on mannequins suspended as puppets, he interspersing real models, faces covered in a gauzy film, and arms pulled by wires, appearing as faux dummies. The ingenious staging aside, the real tour de force was the collection itself, one which took fashion one step further down the road to the future.
This particular turn in the bend was particularly noticeable because the finale of suspended pieces was left hanging above the runway, allowing guests to touch them afterwards. There were lines of buyers, editors, and Fashionista all carefully examining a particularly striking overcoat, one sewn of shredded knits in a quasi-Aztec design, and held together by slivers of fur that mimicked thread, which then fell to form a fabulously foxy border. Unctuous mink, shards of aged leather, squares of worsted wool, and just about everything else imaginable were all combined in the same meticulous technique. The end result was a collection that was, in essence, tromp l'oeil Ready-to-Wear - bone fide couture hiding behind the faux appellation.
But to take the issue one step further, Gaultier also mixed his men's line with women's wear, and at times it was a little difficult to decide
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which pleated skirt worn atop knee boots was intended for what sex. The answer to that riddle might depend upon who wears the pants in the family, but is also reflective of a changing society. The stringent codes that once separated man from woman have begun to merge towards a neutral zone, where reality, imitation, certainty and uncertainty are all interchangeable.
Program notes seized on the evening's theme: "The manner of dressing becomes an illusion having little to do with reality. Each outfit invites you to play the game of neither true nor false. Appearances are not always what they seem to be."
In an irony of circumstance, the show fell precisely 24 hours after Pierre Cardin staged his retrospective, celebrating the 40th anniversary of the first ever Ready-to-Wear collection. Gaultier, of course, was Cardin's premier atelier assistant, and credits his mentor as pointing him in the right direction.
If tonight's show was any indication, Gaultier has now become the person to follow.
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