PARIS is filled with fashion moments. And tonight came one of the most poignant as Jean Paul Gaultier, enfant terrible, master of theatre and fun, creator of some of fashion’s most provocative and legendary designs, showed his ready-to-wear collection for the last time. The designer announced earlier this month that he was closing that side of the business to focus on his couture, fragrance and accessories output.
All of which meant that tonight was going to be even more theatrical, lavish and bonkers than we had seen before – a greatest hits of greatest hits of greatest hits.
It was a brilliant send-off, presented as a beauty pageant so that each of the categories of girls came to represent a chapter in his fashion life, the comments he’s made, the themes he’s explored, the people who have inspired him. We were being given a slice of all the girls he’d designed.
There were WAGS and there were superhero-cum-wrestlers; there were the Eighties Madonnas; the cut-in-half tailoring modern girls; the classics (his weird one-leg trousers, the cones, the stripes, the sailor nods); and most brilliant of all there was a fashion editor section. Suzy Menkes, Franca Sozzani, Babeth Dijian, Grace Coddington, Emmanuelle Alt and Carine Roitfeld all suddenly found themselves depicted strutting down the catwalk and becoming part of the JPG fun. It was a witty and clever note from Gaultier – one that he’s always been so good at doing, and which will be sorely missed there’s no doubt.
But tonight wasn’t really a moment to be sad. It was billed as a celebration, a vibrant extravaganza of cheer and good humour – fellow designers (Alber Elbaz, Alexander Wang, Pierre Cardin, Nathalie Rykiel among them) out in force to salute Gaultier’s swansong.
Taking his final ready-to-wear catwalk lap and bow, Gaultier appeared sporting his own beauty pageant sash – Gaultier was the winner tonight.