The two-hour extravaganza, previously at Paris' Folies Bergere
hall, sees actors, dancers and performance artists take to the
stage as an eclectic mix of characters to recount Gaultier's
memories from his nearly 50 years in fashion.
Part revue, part catwalk show, the production presents new
creations by Gaultier, long known as fashion's "enfant
terrible", vintage outfits as well as references to his iconic
looks from Breton striped sailor tops to the conical bra worn by
Madonna during her 1990 "Blonde Ambition" tour.
Gaultier, who held his first catwalk show in 1976, has long been
known for pushing boundaries in fashion, blurring the lines
between men's and women's clothing, something regularly
referenced in "Fashion Freak Show".
Asked what he wanted audiences to take away from the show,
Gaultier said: "To appreciate different kinds of beauty, that
people are different."
"We are a world made of different people and anyone of us has
beauty. You have to see it," he told Reuters after Wednesday's
performance.
Opening with dancers dressed as bears wearing conical bras - the
young Gaultier first created the look on his childhood teddy -
the show features plenty of his staple corsets, skin-tight
outfits and outlandish as well as provocative pieces.
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Against the backdrop of a giant screen where Gaultier's famous
friends performed for the show, models danced to funk, disco, punk
or rock as they recreated professional and personal moments in the
designer's life, including his childhood influences, visiting London
and major catwalk shows.
"My dreams as a young child became reality ... to see it I've lived
that already but to make it I wanted to give homage to all the
people that inspired me, the cities that inspired me," Gaultier
said.
Gaultier, who has dressed a spate of celebrities from Oscar winner
Marion Cotillard to singer Lady Gaga, quit ready-to-wear fashion in
2014 to focus on haute couture and his perfume line.
Asked if there was anyone he would like to still dress, he said:
"Queen Elizabeth of course but I know it's impossible ... In
reality, I think it's the people who like what I'm doing. I like to
dress them."
"Fashion Freak Show" runs at London's Southbank Centre until Aug. 2.
(Reporting by Marie-Louise Gumuchian; Editing by Tom Brown)
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