All You Need to Look Fashionable in the Forest – Junior Gaultier “Robin Des Bois” F/W 1988-89

Jean Paul Gaultier’s Fall/Winter 1988–89 Robin des Bois collection draws on medieval folklore and woodland imagery. It transforms historical costume into wearable fashion with a playful, theatrical feel.

Try this woollen vest from the Robin Hood collection (Robin Des Bois in French) of 1988. This item is striking in its simplicity, and although I haven’t worn it in public (yet), it’s one of my favourite items from the Junior Gaultier collections. Its very basic construction and woollen composition are pretty similar to the tabards worn in medieval times, which offered only the basic utilitarian functions of protecting one’s modesty and protecting one from the elements. Back in the day, you could complete the look with a cap embellished with a jaunty feather.

I don’t know how this collection relates to Robin Hood, as the green is quite bright and not the darker Lincoln green colour that Robin and his men were known to wear. Believe it or not, in medieval times, there were laws called ‘sumptuary laws’ which regulated the colours and materials that people were allowed to wear. These laws had the dual role of regulating personal spending on luxuries, and of ensuring class distinctions, to the point of restricting the lower classes from wearing colours such as deep reds, purples and ‘royal blue’.

I guess if you are robbing the rich to save the poor, you wouldn’t worry about being prosecuted for wearing purple tights, although it’s probably not the best way to stay hidden in Sherwood Forest.

Dagging in the forest

The zigzag pattern cut into the hem of the vest is known as dagging and was an extremely popular decorative edging technique during the medieval period. Woven textiles, especially wool, were produced with a dense composition to repel rain, which made it possible to cut shapes into the edges without the cloth unravelling.

On the back of the tabard is a patch featuring a maniacal-looking character in medieval attire that could be a court jester, with the word “Junior” on his head.

Junior Gaultier Robin Hood collection jester and bell belt

Belts were an integral part of a man’s wardrobe and were worn over the tunic to keep it in place, as well as to hang pouches, daggers and swords from. The belt pictured is also from the “Robin Hood / Robin Des Bois” collection of fall/winter 1988-89, sporting bells and obvious jester adornments.

Camp Jokers

Gaultier has been inspired by numerous comic book characters, including the lesser-known ones from Fantômas and Les Pieds Nickelés. In their advertising campaigns, Gaultier fragrances Le Mâle and Classique joined forces with iconic animated cartoon characters Superman, Wonder Woman, Popeye, and Betty Boop.

With the help of his companion “M”, who resembles Madonna in her famous cone bra, the hero “Super JPG” battles “Virus Man” in this commentary on safe sex and the AIDS epidemic,

It should be no surprise that Batman has influenced Jean Paul, but I was surprised that this t-shirt from the collection made homage to the charmingly camp original TV series rather than the comic book version. At first glance, the shirt appears to be sporting an image of a court jester, but when you look closely, you can see the unmistakable face of Cesar Romero, who played the Joker in the 1960s Batman television series.

Fashion detective work with the fleur-de-lys

I had to use some detective work to make an educated guess that the jacket below is from the Robin Hood collection. The whole basis is that the lining pattern of coin icons is almost identical to a main line jacket from the collection that also contained fleur-de-lys. Fleur-de-lys is a common heraldic emblem in the stylised shape of a lily as used on the traditional coat of arms of France in the Middle Ages.

“Robin Des Bois” contributes to the wider Junior Gaultier collections 1988–1995, documenting the label’s defining era.