in case your eyes cant read flymetothemoon's scan...
also ive read that there might only be 50 items. that is a LOT less than rodarte or anna sui.
Fashion Spotlight: Jean Paul Gaultier
Jean Paul Gaultier’s playful take on high-low fashion is hitting critical mass this month with his new limited-edition line for Target
Jean Paul Gaultier is the Mad Max of French fashion. Known as much for his wry renditions of trench coats, striped Breton sweaters, and sailor pants as for his conical bras for Madonna’s 1990 Blond Ambition concert tour, Gaultier’s taste has always run more toward the high-octane confrontational and outlandishly outré than upper-crust French provincial. You could even say he’s a bit American in the way he thumbs his nose at tradition.
Though the in-your-face debunking and lampooning of dress codes and propriety may seem old hat these days, Gaultier was one of the first to revolutionize fashion with such notions as putting men in skirts on the runway, designing underwear as outerwear, and morphing his childhood teddy bear into a transvestite. Okay, maybe that one’s not so old hat. But give Gaultier an icon and he’ll turn it upside down and inside out into a new sartorial symbol, often with greater staying power than its original. Who better, then, to put a high-low spin on low-low fashion with his new collection for Target?
Always sexy, Gaultier’s mercurial manipulations can also be downright pretty and flattering. This Gaul clearly understands mass appeal. His Target limited-edition Designer Collaboration line (the third in a series; Alexander McQueen and Anna Sui were the first two) is a hit list of his most famous pieces—minus the cone bra. “They said I pushed it a bit. But in the end, they loved it,” says the 57-year-old designer of Target’s response to his cutout Marilyn Monroe garden-party dresses, leather Perfecto jacket, girdle kilt, and striped bustier, which will be in stores from March 7 through April 11.
He even included a tattoo-print bikini and long-sleeve tattoo T-shirt–inspired by his best-selling (and most knocked-off) JPG item to date. “My clothes have always been expensive. Even though I have had a few lower-priced lines over the years, little by little everything I do tends toward the luxury market,” he says. Obsessed with American culture, from Hollywood and punk rock to pop and hip-hop celebrities—regardless of what curb they might be teetering from—Gaultier jumped at the chance to design for Target. “My ideas have always accessed street culture, and Target is giving me a chance to go back to my roots.”
Hired without any formal training by Pierre Cardin at 18, Gaul­tier launched his own line in 1976 and has been wowing everyone with his irreverent notions ever since. “If it’s too fash­iony, it’s not interesting to me,” the designer says. “The great thing about American women is their energy and the way they love to dress. French women don’t really dress; they are too conservative, as it’s always a question of money. In America, women are powerful and strong, determined. If they want to be an object, they choose to be in control.”
A Frenchman who loves American women is one thing, but a French designer who so vocally pontificates about the style merits of American women? Quel scandal! Maybe we have his grandmother to thank, for letting him spend his childhood watching movies like The Untouchables and Once Upon a Time in the West in her living room while she worked as a masseuse (“I used to sketch her clients as if they were on the TV show that was on”). Or maybe it’s just our je ne sais quoi.
“In France, history is paralyzing,” Gaultier says, before listing a few of his favorite American things: hamburgers, Marlon Brando, Iggy Pop, Dolly Parton, the Broadway musicals Hairspray, A Chorus Line, and 9 to 5. Oh, and then there was his first trip to Las Vegas in the late ’70s. “I saw Siegfried & Roy. The costumes were amazingly hysterical! The fact is, in America there is always the American dream about what is new and fun. There is no limit, no weight of old culture that is killing everyone’s spirit. And to be honest, I am obsessed with American TV and movies. It’s the reason I am a designer.”
Gaultier certainly doesn’t suffer from a lack of charm, which is undeniably French. And neither do his clothes for Target. “With this collection, I wanted to make a tribute to the American women by the pop stars and movie icons who’ve influenced me,” he says, citing muses such as Joan Jett, Britney Spears, Beyoncé, and, of course, the ur-material girl, Madonna. “The clothes are in the spirit and mood of them, with a little ’80s.” And so is he.
Jean Paul Gaultier in his own clothes. Clockwise from his right: Leather jacket, $200, pleated skirt, $35, print leggings, $25, all, Jean Paul Gaultier for Target. Spike bangles, $295 for a set of five, chain bracelets, $80–$160, all, Fallon. Studded vintage leather boots, Bess, $385. Pinstripe jacket, $50, striped bustier dress and shrug, $40, all, Jean Paul Gaultier for Target. Cap, Albertus Swanepoel, $350. Tights, Falke, $47. Blue cutout top, $30, printed T-shirt, $27, printed bikini bottom, $18, all, Jean Paul Gaultier for Target. Link necklaces, Kenneth Jay Lane, $275 each. Tights, Falke, $24. Patent leather boots, Dr. Martens, $130. Trench coat, $60, eyelet dress, $60, both, Jean Paul Gaultier for Target. Fedora, Albertus Swanepoel, $350. Tights, Falke, $59. Patent leather boots, Dr. Martens, $150. Strapless dress, Jean Paul Gaultier for Target, $60. Wool beret, Albertus Swanepoel, $120. Spike bangles, Fallon, $295 for a set of five. Studded resin bangles, Kenneth Jay Lane, $50 each. Tights, Falke, $39. Studded vintage leather boots, Bess, $385. Sailor cardigan, $50, anchor T-shirt, $20, both, Jean Paul Gaultier for Target. Sailor hat, Albertus Swanepoel, $120. Tights, Falke, $39. Patent leather boots, Dr. Martens, $130.
elle.com
also ive read that there might only be 50 items. that is a LOT less than rodarte or anna sui.
Fashion Spotlight: Jean Paul Gaultier
Jean Paul Gaultier’s playful take on high-low fashion is hitting critical mass this month with his new limited-edition line for Target
Jean Paul Gaultier is the Mad Max of French fashion. Known as much for his wry renditions of trench coats, striped Breton sweaters, and sailor pants as for his conical bras for Madonna’s 1990 Blond Ambition concert tour, Gaultier’s taste has always run more toward the high-octane confrontational and outlandishly outré than upper-crust French provincial. You could even say he’s a bit American in the way he thumbs his nose at tradition.
Though the in-your-face debunking and lampooning of dress codes and propriety may seem old hat these days, Gaultier was one of the first to revolutionize fashion with such notions as putting men in skirts on the runway, designing underwear as outerwear, and morphing his childhood teddy bear into a transvestite. Okay, maybe that one’s not so old hat. But give Gaultier an icon and he’ll turn it upside down and inside out into a new sartorial symbol, often with greater staying power than its original. Who better, then, to put a high-low spin on low-low fashion with his new collection for Target?
Always sexy, Gaultier’s mercurial manipulations can also be downright pretty and flattering. This Gaul clearly understands mass appeal. His Target limited-edition Designer Collaboration line (the third in a series; Alexander McQueen and Anna Sui were the first two) is a hit list of his most famous pieces—minus the cone bra. “They said I pushed it a bit. But in the end, they loved it,” says the 57-year-old designer of Target’s response to his cutout Marilyn Monroe garden-party dresses, leather Perfecto jacket, girdle kilt, and striped bustier, which will be in stores from March 7 through April 11.
He even included a tattoo-print bikini and long-sleeve tattoo T-shirt–inspired by his best-selling (and most knocked-off) JPG item to date. “My clothes have always been expensive. Even though I have had a few lower-priced lines over the years, little by little everything I do tends toward the luxury market,” he says. Obsessed with American culture, from Hollywood and punk rock to pop and hip-hop celebrities—regardless of what curb they might be teetering from—Gaultier jumped at the chance to design for Target. “My ideas have always accessed street culture, and Target is giving me a chance to go back to my roots.”
Hired without any formal training by Pierre Cardin at 18, Gaul­tier launched his own line in 1976 and has been wowing everyone with his irreverent notions ever since. “If it’s too fash­iony, it’s not interesting to me,” the designer says. “The great thing about American women is their energy and the way they love to dress. French women don’t really dress; they are too conservative, as it’s always a question of money. In America, women are powerful and strong, determined. If they want to be an object, they choose to be in control.”
A Frenchman who loves American women is one thing, but a French designer who so vocally pontificates about the style merits of American women? Quel scandal! Maybe we have his grandmother to thank, for letting him spend his childhood watching movies like The Untouchables and Once Upon a Time in the West in her living room while she worked as a masseuse (“I used to sketch her clients as if they were on the TV show that was on”). Or maybe it’s just our je ne sais quoi.
“In France, history is paralyzing,” Gaultier says, before listing a few of his favorite American things: hamburgers, Marlon Brando, Iggy Pop, Dolly Parton, the Broadway musicals Hairspray, A Chorus Line, and 9 to 5. Oh, and then there was his first trip to Las Vegas in the late ’70s. “I saw Siegfried & Roy. The costumes were amazingly hysterical! The fact is, in America there is always the American dream about what is new and fun. There is no limit, no weight of old culture that is killing everyone’s spirit. And to be honest, I am obsessed with American TV and movies. It’s the reason I am a designer.”
Gaultier certainly doesn’t suffer from a lack of charm, which is undeniably French. And neither do his clothes for Target. “With this collection, I wanted to make a tribute to the American women by the pop stars and movie icons who’ve influenced me,” he says, citing muses such as Joan Jett, Britney Spears, Beyoncé, and, of course, the ur-material girl, Madonna. “The clothes are in the spirit and mood of them, with a little ’80s.” And so is he.
Jean Paul Gaultier in his own clothes. Clockwise from his right: Leather jacket, $200, pleated skirt, $35, print leggings, $25, all, Jean Paul Gaultier for Target. Spike bangles, $295 for a set of five, chain bracelets, $80–$160, all, Fallon. Studded vintage leather boots, Bess, $385. Pinstripe jacket, $50, striped bustier dress and shrug, $40, all, Jean Paul Gaultier for Target. Cap, Albertus Swanepoel, $350. Tights, Falke, $47. Blue cutout top, $30, printed T-shirt, $27, printed bikini bottom, $18, all, Jean Paul Gaultier for Target. Link necklaces, Kenneth Jay Lane, $275 each. Tights, Falke, $24. Patent leather boots, Dr. Martens, $130. Trench coat, $60, eyelet dress, $60, both, Jean Paul Gaultier for Target. Fedora, Albertus Swanepoel, $350. Tights, Falke, $59. Patent leather boots, Dr. Martens, $150. Strapless dress, Jean Paul Gaultier for Target, $60. Wool beret, Albertus Swanepoel, $120. Spike bangles, Fallon, $295 for a set of five. Studded resin bangles, Kenneth Jay Lane, $50 each. Tights, Falke, $39. Studded vintage leather boots, Bess, $385. Sailor cardigan, $50, anchor T-shirt, $20, both, Jean Paul Gaultier for Target. Sailor hat, Albertus Swanepoel, $120. Tights, Falke, $39. Patent leather boots, Dr. Martens, $130.
elle.com
