JEAN-PAUL GAULTIER HAUTE COUTURE – Spring/Summer 2016

February 2, 2016

By Marcellous L. Jones

Photos by Rainer Torrado

Paris, France – This season Jean-Paul Gaultier is feeling a bit nostalgic for the glory days of the Palace. This was one of the most iconic, international party spots in Paris in the 1980’s and up to the early 1990’s. There one could find the likes of Janice Dickerson, Grace Jones and Jerry Hall dancing on table tops with Jean-Paul Gaultier while the like of Andy Warhol looked on. And many were the nights that artist/singer Prince would burst into spontaneous song there to finish in a live concert.

Jean-Paul Gaultier reinterprets this emblematic night spot with silhouettes championed by ensembles of pants with ample straight cuts legs. Lots of glittery materials are used to bring them to life. Crepe, lace, jacquard, leather etc. It is literally a festival of nightlife!

The hair is big, and teased for the gods until it becomes light as air. Just think of Tara Shannon, Christy Brinkley or Gia Carangi. Some hair is cut to celebrate the punk rock of the early 1980’s. Just think Pat Benetar! And the music at the show reflected this period of fashion decadence and excess. Just think “Fresh” by Cool & the Gang, Grace Jones,’s “Slave to the Rhythm” Amanda Lear.

It is nice to see Gaultier adding so any pieces that pass for daywear too. One favorite look is a crepe pencil skirt in black with royal blue bands. It is worn with a matching throw over shawl. One must love the black pinstripe jumpsuit with open V-back, and its nude chiffon dress overlay.

It’s clear that Gaultier is fascinated with representing the “Pandora’s box”. In literature this “box” is symbolic for a woman’s “dirty parts” because through it, all of evils entered into the world. We see triangle placed in representation of the breast and her vagina or “love box”. He does them in ruby-red Swarovski crystal and also in black too. To this he adds a silk bomber jack in burnt orange, a silk bomber jack that resembled a denim jacket with bleached out spots. It is embroidered with features and crystals. Many others would follow.

The collection enjoys many looks that resemble pyjama sets. Post-show Jean-Paul Gaultier explained in an interview how he got the idea. “When I was little, my grandmother was late going to work one night”, said he. “She was a nurse and had to go give the blood transfusion to her patient. One night she was late, and put on her coat, took her umbrella and she wore her lace stockings. She forgot her skirt. I thought that it was funny, and I did not tell her. So I had that memory, I decided to put it in the collection because I thought that it was a chic look.”

This funny story served to give the collection its raison d’être and to unify it to the theme of the nightlight at the Palace.

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