Following his grand departure from prêt-a-porter as we know it, Jean Paul Gaultier wanted to treat us to a couture collection to covet. 63 pieces along, that he certainly did. Drifting between the couture that we are accustomed to from the designer and the more everyday pieces, Gaultier gave us yet another show that not only somewhat acted as a retrospective of his design demonism over the years, but attested to his passion for the industry that made him. Putting his name to all the fairytale couture that we expect from the fantasy designer, our favourite contemporary Français design icon got a little sentimental this for Spring and went bridal with the majority of the looks.
Making asymmetrical design seem just right and draping models in fragrant bouquets, the now exclusive courtier stuck to the softest most harmless aesthetics for the entirety but made sure to stick in the usual mildly transgressive glitz and glam that we thank him for. Anne Cleveland, all but one of the last modern beacons of fabulosity in the modern industry amped up the Gaultier appeal by turning dramatic snakeprint shifts into theatrical gestures, gripping onto the threads that tell the tale of what Gaultier is really about.
The exoticism of snakeskin became a recurring theme this couture season and, quite oddly enough, was cast aside a pure pan-like motif, all leafy, green and lush. Think a scantily clad Naomi Campbell littered only with Adam and Eve leaves if you need the full picture.
Indeed, it was an all-around couture show throughout, but on account of the industry’s current cut-throat climate, in some ways it feels like the curtain is calling on JPG’s “mainstream” dressmaking days. But if there’s one thing Gaultier responds to it’s a curtain call, so here’s to the designer’s painstaking will to pursue his fashion and fantasy philosophy.
by Liam Feltham
Images courtesy of Style.com