What lies beyond the Jean Paul Gaultier sea? As though nodding to the catchy love song, today’s show invited guests on this discovery, which, true to the couturier’s freewheeling spirit, took all sorts of twists and turns.
It launched on land with new iterations of the iconic Gaultier marinière, first as an airy blouse, followed by a striped taffeta bustier and nautical blazer with “shark shoulders.” This upright, sharp-edged construction was the most consistent element to the collection, spanning what seemed to be an underwater dive before resurfacing in Japan. Gaultier dropped signature buoys in the form of pin-striped, trompe l’oeil jeans and fringed cages. But it was refreshing to see him testing alternative forms—a stiff pleated belt that was half-ruff, half-peplum—whether or not they stick among his clientele. By the same token, many Japanese-inflected treatments weren’t as kitsch as one might expect from Gaultier, though their decorative obi eclecticism would be better suited for the stage than a soiree. Something like the electric green plissé top with black shorts and organza-pleated boots (its Gaultier-given name: Wasa Beach) stood out because its statement was visually direct, chic, and free of thematic bait.
Toward the end, as Dita Von Teese arrived on the runway in a suitably seductive black plumetis gown with “harpoon” sleeves, the focus shifted to a series of dresses that showcased the Parisian couture tradition without all the eccentricity seen elsewhere. Perhaps as some sort of cheeky retort, a short pouf-y dress with an ample train of tulle waves was nearly the same periwinkle hue as Lady Gaga’s Golden Globes Valentino gown. Its name: A Seastar Is Born.
