Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk
A conversation before the opening of the exhibition with curator Thierry-Maxime Loriot
“When you are creating with no money and you have nothing, you have to solve the problem.” – Jean Paul Gaultier
Said Jean Paul Gaultier the night of Brooklyn Museum’s Conversation with Jean Paul Gaultier lead by curator Thierry-Maxime Loriot. He continued to tell a story of how, as a child he did a little drawing on paper. When his school teacher caught him and scolded him for it, the teacher pinned the drawing to his back and lead him around trying to embarrass him in front of the other students. Jean Paul Gaultier said however, that the attempt actually won him the affection of many of his peers, and obviously, has continued to do so well into his career.
A sketch of Madonna for the Blonde Ambition Tour
Madonna
Material GIRL
A magnificently, humble, energetic and delightfully humorous fellow was JPG. He talked as if he were in a room of friends, not the type of conversation you might expect from a high fashion genius of similar qualifications. He continued, “I like people who are different, I am fascinated by them, like Louise Brooks, real people. ” He continued, “Silhouette is very important. Hair, I love hair, it can change a person.” He described a rather odd muse of his with a large nose and equally proportionate hair stacked as if she were a prehistoric bird. This was wonderfully appropriate as I sat next to one of my amazing girl friends. Each time I see her she is a different person; this time with her hair stacked in mountainous dread locks that trailed half way down her back.
He told how he would stare at clouds and strange things and think about how they are put together. He talked about stitching bras to his childhood teddy bear after seeing his grandmother walk out of the house in her undergarments on accident. He never went to art school, he just tried to figure things out as he saw them.
When asked about how an emerging designer can keep up in the fast paced world of current fashion market, i.e. so many seasons: Resort, Pre-Resort, Summer, Trans, Fall, Pre-Fall and Winter collections; JPG’s response was slightly arresting:
” We live in a world that is crying…” (fumbling for the English word for the French he thought)”…Fashion doesn’t change every season. The market is saturated with too much, there is more clothing than people who can buy it. Fashion shouldn’t be so big. Do your own thing, smaller collections, be true to your muse.”
This is exactly the conversations I have heard from seasoned designers all over the market as well as an underlying theme in books such as “The End of Fashion: How Marketing Changed Fashion Forever” and “Deluxe: How Luxury Lost it’s Luster”.
JPG signing a co-worker’s Special edition JPG Coke Bottle
“Be true to your muse.” Indeed. A littler easier said than done, but inspiring all the same. A few weeks later I returned to see the exhibition:
The 1st Room “The Odyssey”: Virgins
The show opens with “The Odyssey”, his iconic work such as sailor stripes, mermaids and what else? Singing, and crying virgins. That’s right, as I examined the clothing I noticed the mannequin looking at me, talking to me and sometimes start crying and singing.
A mermaid on crutches?! Of course, how brilliant! Look at the coral and pearls, what an exquisitely imagined thing of beauty.
Look at the hinges used for boning and seams on this corset, it’s like a “treasure chest”. I absolutely LOVE the little pearl lacrimosa or “tear catcher”. What merman warrior brings this poor girl to tears? Is he lost at sea or on land? Who should tell that story but JPG himself through every detail of these garments.
…and look, he IS here to tell the story, of the exhibition anyway, such and “animated” face, he welcomes the on lookers in English and French.
Next we wander into “The Boudoir” where we meet the very first celebrity to wear one of JPG’s cone bras; Nana, his childhood teddy bear.
Gualtier’s world famous corsetry, in all it’s varieties, for women and men, is mind blowingly constructed.
Each piece is hand made and has the hours of construction written on the caption to give you an idea of how many long hours go into each one.
This one is made entirely of ribbons…
Modanna wore the cone bra too. In 1990 during the “Blond Ambition Tour” I was only 12 at the time, taking jazz dance lessons, we all wanted to learn her moves but sadly, had to focus on the “jitter bug” instead.
What could possibly follow the pert, meticulousity of “The Boudoir” but the “in your face” chaos of the “Punk Cancan” …
Photo courtesy of David Palumbo
Literally!!
My absolute favorite in this room is the yellow tartan with those pleats and contrasting godets! I’ve been trying to get my hands on the perfect yellow plaid ever since.
“Beauty is only skin deep”, as they say.JPG’s topical treatments of lace applique and tattooed mesh are some of my favorite references of inspiration.
Lace applied to the body to look like tattoo, or Victorian henna. I adore this effect, contrasted with the abundantly feminine.
Through out my studies and practices I’ve composed books upon books filled with swipes and inspiration. One of my favorite pages in one such book from several years ago features this Vogue image…
This dress is breath taking in all it’s romance, opulence and mystery. Having an opportunity to stand 2 feet away from it was truly a study in the fantastic.
Feathers never cease to intrigue me, my great grandmother taught me feather craft when I was a kid. It is said that president Ronald Reagan had one of her hat bands. I made hair pieces for my sisters wedding and I think I shall make myself a pair of these for my own …
And then throw a swank cocktail party in Paris wearing this!
The exhibition is quite large, ending with an “Urban Jungle” room inspired by people and cultures all over the world including Samurai, African Tribal and “Chic Rabbis”. The abundance of creativity and diversity in concepts is something I strive for in my own design work. Right down to the details, he leaves no curiosity unturned.
To me, there is a place for commercial fashion and daily, functional, ready to wear. However, the need for this kind of work elevates us to new worlds. Speaking of designing other worlds, JPG designing Fifth Element was such an influence to me all those years ago. The costumes and characters were nothing short of fantastic. Have I mentioned in the history of this blog, my obsession with Gary Oldman?
No? perhaps another time. Anyway, Fifth Element…
And I cannot forget to mention how many times I watched Ron Perlman in City of Lost Children.The Concept and costume designs permeated my own dreams. 
