The “Women Among Women” collection of Fall/Winter 1989-90 is based on ceremonial military uniforms, including this military jacket. Have a look at the Autumn Winter 1989/1990 Paris prêt-à-porter women’s show.
If you have any doubt that the collection is based on military uniforms, the Autumn Winter 1989/1990 Paris prêt-à-porter women’s show will put your mind at rest. The models at the beginning of the show wear a take on bearskin caps, the headgear of grenadier and guard regiments in various European armies. They also wear the vest from this post, alongside olive drab coats and tights. If you watch the video to the end, you’ll see the tailoring become more fitted and battle fatigues reminiscent of American G.I.s introduced, along with the regular to Junior Gaultier collections, the bomber jacket. Before you know it, acidic citrus colours burst out of sedate military greens and greys, matched with metallic fabric and a crescendo of shiny black PVC.
When these items came up for sale, I had to have them! I now only have the black version left, as neither ever fit me, but it’s such a beautiful object to own. And like so many other Junior Gaultier garments, the quality is superb, made of 75% wool felt.
I’m pretty sure my Junior Gaultier ceremonial belt, seen below, is also from this collection.
Sacred hearts
Jean-Paul Gaultier’s Autumn/Winter 1989 womenswear collection was shown at Halle de la Villette during Paris Fashion Week. The collection contrasted and combined masculine and feminine clothing. It was apt that the MA-1 bomber jacket, an American military jacket, was included, complete with a sacred heart motif within the frame of a muselet (the metal cap that covers a champagne cork).
Tailoring techniques as decoration
A black pinstriped wool jacket from the main line “Women Among Women” collection brings the inside out with decorative patterning of zigzag lines that look like the catch-stitching that is most commonly used on garment hems, but can also be used to tack two pieces of fabric together.
