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 The affable French designer, who has long cultivated an image as
the 'enfant terrible' of the fashion world, announced last week
the runway display would be his last after 50 years in the
business.
The 67-year-old designer brought a large dose of his irreverent
humor to the show, as well as outlandish creations, from a
futuristic bridal dress worn by model Karlie Kloss to a
poppy-clad headdress sported by Spanish actress Rossy de Palma.
Dozens of male and female models - including burlesque star Dita
Von Teese and drag queen Violet Chachki - took part in the
extravaganza at the Châtelet theater in Paris.
Many showcased famous Gaultier looks, from bustiers echoing one
designed for singer Madonna's 1990 stage shows, to trompe l'oeil
shirt dresses and Breton striped sailor patterns.
Gaultier has yet to detail his plans. On Wednesday he said only
that he would keep working in some way within the fashion world,
but no longer with the same restrictions, such as putting on
regular catwalk shows, and with a focus on fun projects.
'ONLY ONE GAULTIER'
"I'm too old to revolutionize the system," Gaultier told
reporters, adding that the industry was now home to almost too
many labels.
His namesake brand, part of family-owned Spanish fashion and
fragrance group Puig, would carry on with a new concept,
Gaultier said, without elaborating.
Gaultier's one-time design mentor Pierre Cardin, 97, was among
the guests at the venue, where the theatre's stage was
transformed into a runway, while peers such as Louis Vuitton
womenswear designer Nicolas Ghesquiere also looked on.
"There's only one Jean Paul Gaultier," said model Laetitia Casta
ahead of the show. Casta, clad in a vintage Gaultier blue denim
outfit, was discovered at 15 by the designer at a casting call
where she said she mingled with punks.
"He was one of the first to go out into the street to find
people," she said.
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The show kicked off with a funereal scene and dancing pallbearers,
with Boy George singing "Back to Black", the song made famous by
late singer Amy Winehouse.
Other highlights included model Coco Rocha leaping around the stage
to hip-hop-infused Irish music.
'DON'T BURN, UPCYCLE'
Gaultier made his mark as one of the brightest young talents in
French fashion during the early 1980s, shaking up the establishment
with wild designs drawn from street culture, punk and the gay club
scene.
After starting out at 18 an apprentice of Cardin, he later worked as
a designer for Hermes. He presented his first individual collection
in 1976.
In recent years he dropped ready-to-wear clothing, focusing on
twice-yearly haute couture collections - exclusive, handmade outfits
each usually sold to one wealthy client.
Puig has yet to report earnings for 2019 and does not break down its
brands' performance. In 2018, its revenues rose 5% at constant
exchange rates to 1.9 billion euros ($2.11 billion).
Gaultier, who presented men's skirts made of strung-together ties on
Wednesday, said his fun-filled swansong had a more serious message
too, at a time when many in the fashion industry are looking to
prove their environmental credentials.
"Don't burn clothes, upcycle," he said.
(Reporting by Sarah White and Clotaire Achi; Editing by Hugh Lawson,
Cynthia Osterman and Kenneth Maxwell)
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