Jean Paul Gaultier Haute Couture F/W 2021.22 Paris

[vogue28]

VOGUE.COM

 

[perhydrol]

I feel terribly underwhelmed by the production. It was too static for both JPG and Sacai. The clothes would have really benefited from the movement. Instead, we got a rather lifeless show.

However, the collection is very good, even if it's a little bit too serious. It has all the codes of both JPG and Sacai. My favourite look is the third one and I wish they had expanded that kind of tailoring more. My biggest complaint is the lack of a wedding look. It used to be the finishing touch of every Jean Paul's show and now it's nowhere to be found.

 

[YohjiAddict]

I mean it in the best of ways when I say this is exactly what I expected when I heard she was gonna do this project: That she would step out of her comfort zone! This has got to be her riskiest collection, it's very 80s Gaultier, messy, layered within an inch of its life and very authentic. It's also cool and youthful, which is the exact opposite of Gaultier's last few couture outings.

It's important to note that front views don't make justice to the clothes since they have as much detail on the back and quite a few looks had a lovely bustle-like construction.

The direct homages were favorites of mine, her choice of remaking Björk's look from the Tibetan show warmed my heart and the court jackets from S/S 1994 had something of their own.

For me it far surpassed Balenciaga and usurped its title as the show of the week. Although we still have Margiela tomorrow...

 

[jeanclaude]

Just as I expected: deconstructed/reconstructed archival JPG pieces; and Chitose Abe´s obsession with bomber jackets here and there. And that´s all! No bad, but no good either...

 

[avonlea002]

Disappointing. Everything looks heavy and overdesigned. Some outfits are downright hideous.

 

[GreyVetiver]

I expected more because I know how good she is at making clothes with amazing intricate details without being too complicated. However, some looks, especially the deconstructed ones, are just too much and the proportions seem off. Having said that, I would take her denim looks over Demna's Balenciaga any day!!

 

[dior_couture1245]

Echoing other's sentiments...it looks exactly as you'd expect it to look.

I have never, ever liked Chitose's work. It's always so overworked and heavy and tricky...the kind of clothes I cannot even begin to imagine a single person ever wearing. She does that cliche things designers so often do..."oh, take a bomber jacket and do it with A TWIST!" Eyeroll.

I don't even think these looks look well made, either...kind of sloppy overall.

You know....seeing this, and seeing Balenciaga today, too....I really think Demna would/could have been a fantastic successor to Jean Paul. His love of character models, his obsession with street, a sort of odd sexuality, irony, etc...but also has proven that he's capable of some gorgeous suiting and tailoring, too. Oh well...for some reason, we here on TFS can see these things and judge more properly and prudently that the suits running these houses...

 

[Phuel]

^^^ At least this feels and looks refreshed and revived— unlike his own last handful of collections.

And she proves she’s so much more talented and vastly creative in restructuring/deconstructing the brand’s codes to a relevance of this era— unlike Pieter at Alaia. And she does showcase a spark of humour in her take of Gaultier’s wit without drifting to the all-to-easy camp side of his brand, thank goodness. The Rabi hats reimagined as puffer versions in his brilliant “Rabi Chic” collection is impressively re-reimagined as a New Era cap is simply ingenious. Sly and clever revisions like this one are the much needed revivalism of Gaultier’s once supreme presence that the tepid collab with the various smaller designer failed so miserably.

It’s not great— many of the layered and tattered looks are just too burdened, and frankly, it’s all rather showpiece than made-for-a-client in it’s motive. But she absolutely has elevated a stale brand that was one the untouchable supreme standard, unlike what’s happening at Alaia.

 

[bennyboy]

 

[eugenius]

I'm sure a lot of this will get reworked to more palatable fashion-fare for the customers, so I can't fully hate on the runway show. The aran knit dress looks fantastic, but nearly everything else? I don't know.

But I'll still love it solely on account of the names on the label, not the actual clothes.

 

[Lola701]

The presentation was underwhelming but the collection was convincing.
The promise was JPG by Sacai and this is what we got!

I love how she referenced both his Couture and his RTW and how she played with the archetypes of Gaultier.
I love Look 2, the down jacket dress hybrid with the corset, the knitwear fringed dress and the tuxedo dress.

The collection felt very performative tho.
It’s good but not memorable…
I think she could have used the Couture atelier to challenge herself more.

That being said, this got me excited for the next designer.

 

[Phuel]

^^^She absolutely did marinate in the Gaultier archives for her research; the level of reference and the complexity in the fusion of her brand of usual heavy-patchwork design (of which I've never been a fan of) with Gaultier’s overwhelmingly rich vision is admittedly masterfully, and seamlessly conceived. There’s no cut-and-paste tell-tale signs here.

But being Couture, perhaps it would have been more considerate for her to veer towards the more sophisticated, sleeker and mature Gaultier Paris rather than his RTW designs? The chosen references are wonderful (…except for the Bjork one— just too gimmicky and dated with the monogram but I suppose that’s precisely why she chose it for this era…). However, my issue is that the people that grew up on those visionary designs she referenced, have moved on to more mature aesthetics— as I’m sure his clientele have with his Couture (the camp clan not withstanding…). And for that, the presentation comes off pandering to a younger generation— and not necessary a younger clientele, than it does to where Gaultier should be at this point of his career.

(I’m sure that the [re]branding of his House will now heavily favour his more “infant terrible” street influences to the more classically Couture of Gaultier Paris, even Hermes Gaultier. This is still solid beginning, just that only the highest of high standards should ever be expected of Gaultier.)

 

[vetements]

this is very likely my favorite collection for the entire season, even surpasses her own namesake line even.

I like how obviously intricate the clothes are made yet they dont feel precious (ironic, I know, this being couture, but I am so over with the dowdy dressy-dressy types at say Fendi?)

and seeing the clothes in motion, the presentation, the attitude of the models, the track and set, is just divine.

 

[eugenius]

Round of applause for Pierre Hardy, who got it right.