“You are going all the way to Melbourne for a Jean-Paul Gaultier exhibition? What is he famous for?” asked curious friends. “Conical bras,” I say. And friends not familiar with his work laugh.
The reference to conical bras and corsets is, of course, his iconic designs for Madonna’s performances. “I was a fan of Madonna’s so I was pleased to collaborate with her for that reason; not because it would be good for my career,” he told The Telegraph in 2010 and elaborated on how this iconic look came about with a teddy bear’s help.
When Gaultier was just seven, he made a bra for his teddy bear. He had actually asked his parents for a doll, which they felt was not appropriate for a young boy. So he got a bear instead. The lingerie, constructed from papier mâché, was the prototype for what became the iconic look for Madonna’s Blonde Ambition tour in 1990. Though Gaultier was interested in fashion from a young age, he was never formally trained in design.
On a recent trip to Melbourne, Australia, I went to the National Gallery of Victoria to see The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk and discovered many such quirky facts about the designer. The show was a celebration of his irreverent and unconventional take on the fashion industry and its notions of beauty.
As you walk into the exhibit space, the theme — sidewalk to catwalk — comes through. A mural of Cate Blanchett by artist Rone reminds one of street art and gives a feel of the cultural landscape of Melbourne. Joining me on my walk was Paola Di Trocchio, Curator, Fashion and Textiles, at the gallery. “We wanted the exhibit to not only showcase his work but also him as a person. Gaultier is high fashion but he is about speaking to the people in a tongue they understand,” says Di Trocchio.
Showcasing the designer’s self-taught innovation, the exhibit traced the influences that marked his creative development from the streets of Paris to punk and fantasies of science fiction. There were gorgeous floor-length gowns worn by celebrities to award nights, jungle-themed outfits, leather jackets... The exhibition began with a 3D-hologram of Jean Paul Gaultier dressed in his signature Breton stripes and introducing the exhibition. Taking a cue from the bright 1980s, there is graffiti on the walls, punk music blaring and a moving runway of mannequins, you’re invited to take a front row seat — only to experience what fashion A-listers feel at his shows: a sense of awe and amusement.
An entire section was devoted to the risqué-nightlife of Amsterdam, with a recreation of the city’s red-light district — think fishnets, corsets, thigh-high boots and whips. In the Muses section, a placard reads, ‘Non-conformist designer seeks unusual models — the conventionally beautiful need not apply. Advertisement placed by Jean Paul Gaultier in the French daily newspaper Liberation, 1986.’ Inspired by the unusual, among his many early muses was Farida Khelfa who went on to become the first top model with a North African background. He was also the first designer to work with androgynous models — Teri Toye and Andrej Pejic.
This unique travelling exhibition will call Paris its home through April. It has already been to London, Brooklyn, Dallas, San Francisco, Stockholm and, most recently Melbourne.
Showcasing a selection of couture and ready-to-wear pieces from the 1970s to now, the show can be viewed at the Grand Palais until August 3, 2015. Apart from the core exhibit produced by Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and curated by Thierry-Maxime Loriot, the 10th leg has been enriched with installations specially designed for Paris; a video installation especially designed for the Paris leg by the French artists, Lucie & Simon.
For those who want to know where Gaultier’s witty and avant-garde fashion comes from, the exhibition champions the quote you notice as you enter: “To conform is to give in.”
