(Dec. 9, 2022 ● Oslin Pierrette)
Jean Paul Gaultier is one of the main pioneers of my fashion journey. At the time I wasn’t really into fashion, but I understood it a bit, very casually. I would always see Jean Paul Gaultier archive pieces and prints in posts and tweets, and after a while I was able to spot Jean Paul Gaultier garments. I started becoming very familiar with the design language. Then one day I saw Jean Paul Gaultier SS ‘94 Paris Show. Before I wasn’t really into fashion, then after watching it, I was in awe. I guess I wasn’t aware that fashion could trigger and affect me this deeply. An art form that triggered me amongst the deepest levels. Sometimes you just don’t know love is out there for you in that way. If you knew you would have a love for something, you probably would’ve interacted with it as early as you could. That’s why it’s important to venture out and experiment in life. Fashion quickly became a love of my life, and I credit a lot of the spark of that to Jean Paul Gaultier. It was an amazing show, the collection was beautiful of course, but also the show was an amazing production. Also with an amazing and interesting cast of models.
This collection was so expressive. Packed with this multicultural background theme. Beautifully constructed garments. Reason I love a lot of JPG’s work is the creativeness of his prints. That’s a lot of what this collection is packed with. Of course the prints probably tell an interesting story, but for me it’s just beautiful unique prints. I just never saw such artful vibrant prints, full pictured prints just all over garments. On all types of fabrics. I loved the disregard of all the rules, and showing you new possibilities, like “oh, you can do that, interesting. I didn’t know.” Just expanding your understanding on how things are supposed to be. There was an amazing liberation with Jean Paul Gaultier.
The tattoo print is one of the most iconic looks in fashion. I don’t think JPG invented it, but he did coin it. It is such a great type of design. Beautiful vibrant prints, mixed with a nice sheer fabric. Completely form fitting and see through, giving off this tattooed illusion. Reason why a lot of the prints are tattooed inspired prints, like very tribal and cultural prints.
One of the main aspects of Jean Paul Gaultier is sex appeal, but there is this admiration for the natural human beauty. With a lot of the form fittingness and the cuts of the garments. JPG is designing with the body in mind, it’s visibly a part of his inspiration. Lot of the looks are “how can we accentuate the beauty of the natural human?” Showing women in a light that was formerly seen as taboo. A culture where women are supposed to be modest and covered up. It was the 90’s, a huge shift in culture and values. Lot of that is because of JPG. There is a lot of raunchiness, but not distastefully lustful. A woman’s body is beautiful, and that’s how it’s presented. And there’s a lot of women owning and representing all the essence of their beauty in the show.
There was a very unique and interesting casting. Fashion is known for its very strict status quo of women. You know what the women are going to look like. Very tall, slim & slender type of model. With this show, it was a very inclusive casting. JPG emphasized representation. You were getting full-figured women(for the time at least). Different looking people, very gothic. With gaudy tattoos in taboo places. You get a strong feeling JPG isn’t really based on selling pretentious luxury, it’s based on the intrinsic expression of beauty, and however that looks for whoever, that’s how you should show up. He’s for the people.
The tribal and gothic accessories were amazing. There was this utilization of everyday cultural objects as jewelry. And styled in the most tribal way. Referencing Southeastern Asian styles, especially India. With such a beautiful styling of piercings, and headpieces. Some of the styling was out of this world.
I wouldn’t myself, but would be a beautiful way to style a muse. Also the Southeastern style was referenced in other garments as well. Like in the cuts of those collarless jackets and shirts, especially those satin ones, those were really nice.
Jean Paul Gaultier definitely falls under the punk genre. There’s these overwhelming values in society that you feel don’t represent you or your love. So you disregard the way of the world and present your truth, your visceral feelings. Which can be very abrasive and seen as taboo, and you push that agenda, sometimes in hopes other underrepresented people will feel they have a place in this world as well.
That’s why I love this collection so much. It’s simply so beautiful. Amazingly made garments. Also loved the styling, amazing draping. For years, I wanted one of the sheer tattoo shirts. I loved the prints so much. I didn’t know how I was going to fit them though, because it was mainly available for women. I’m a bigger and taller guy, I wasn’t sure if it would fit me right. Then I finally got my hands on two of them. And sure enough, they were too small. But since I admired the brand so much, I was going to keep them as art pieces…then a year later, I started slimming down, which led to me wearing more expressive and experimental pieces. Then boom, I found a way to make a JPG sheer tattoo shirt work. I had to make a statement look just for it. I think I wore it exactly how I was supposed to. I gave that shirt justice:
Jean Paul Gaultier is very instrumental in my upbringing in fashion.
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