Jean Paul Gaultier from Sidewalk to Catwalk (Exhibition Rotterdam)

Jean Paul Gaultier Exhibition – From Sidewalk to the Catwalk (Rotterdam)

By

The exhibition displays works from fashion designer, Jean Paul Gaultier in sections from religious, bordering on angelic, to sado-masochistic, in an attempt to capture the essence of the “enfant terrible” and his eclectic couture.

Swathed in beige leather, what society has come to know as the sailor suit silhouette, stands to the left of the room. Triangular at the front, the sailor collar is emblazoned with Gaultier’s trade mark Breton stripes. These were not originally a feature of the sailor collar, however were part of the French sailor uniform (Brittany Fleet) in the form of a jumper. In terms of the pants, the front flap opening is reminiscent of riding breeches circa 1850 and dandyism rather than the utilitarian dressing of the sailor. The mid drift completes this look, offering a somewhat comical nod to an archaic style of dressing.

Winding from one room to the next, Gaultier confronts his audience with a new form of beauty, a bedazzling skeletal structure. This touch of surrealism takes what has always been associated with death, doom and gloom, revamping the idea of our insides as glamorous. Gaultier’s inspiration for this magnificent piece is “an intimate connection between the identity of the garment and that of the body wearing it.” A playful sexuality has also been intertwined into this construction through the use of suspenders and careful corseting, laced at the back to mimic that of a human spine. This corseting attribute stems from Gaultier’s childhood fascination with his grandmother’s corsets. Modern fabrics such as polyester and nylon were most likely used for their flexibility and high lustre.

In the final room an immaculately beaded imitation of a leopard skin adorns a long flowing gown, shifting the perception of the viewer as one begins to realise that a flattened member of the cat family is not forming part of the dress. Gaultier plays...