Jean Paul Gaultier’s Spring/Summer 1993 collection was shown in Paris, and several fashion reporters attended, including Suzy Menkes, Jackie Modlinger, and Ingrid Sischy.
Several of Gaultier’s iconic design elements were included in the collection, including the Breton stripe, conical bra, and lingerie-style garments. However, for this show, Gaultier played with the deconstruction of skirts, shirts and trousers, which he turned inside out and upside down and elongated, bringing waistbands above nipples.
“With his reversals of all the questions, he’s like a genuine philosopher,” Ingrid Sischy remarked about the show. In the 1994 Douglas Keeve documentary “Unzipped” Sischy defends Gaultier’s mix of politics and culture in fashion following the controversy of the “Chic Rabbis” collection that followed in the autumn.
If it weren’t for the leather belt dangling lifelessly, the subtlety of a pair of black trousers turned upside down would be lost. The upside-down shirt worn as a skirt was less subtle and perhaps less wearable. A mini dress with a waistband at the hem and a slit in the skirt by way of a fly opening, on the other hand, works perfectly.
The denim section of the show is stunning, and the VERY high-waisted jeans held up with braces at first glance like dungarees. Little denim corsets are split into strips that resemble Roman soldiers’ defensive leather skirts, known as pteruges.
I can’t help but think of the American hip-hop duo Kris Kross, who in the early 1990s were also responsible for a short-lived craze among teenagers for wearing clothes back to front. Going to the loo would have been a challenge for them.
Wigs and merkins
Not even the variety of hairstyles one may anticipate from a Gaultier show will adequately prepare you for the furry finale!
A model with long hair that cascades from each breast to the floor is seen wearing a striped skirt suit. Model Tanel Bedrossiantz sashays into view wearing an absurdly long blond chest wig.
A more structured breast covering is worn by a blonde model, whose hair spirals into a bra. It’s soon the men’s turn again, this time a hirsute skirt in ginger which looks strangely wearable.
Climaxing in a sensual lack of hair, sequined dresses in flesh tones thrust faux erect nipples in your face, while merkins placed pubic hair on the opposite side of the dress’s material, reaffirming the show’s inside-out concept as well as pushing the boundaries of gender and body image.
A nautical theme
The T-shirt that I’m sporting is (dare I say) pretty unremarkable, other than the quality of its knitted 100% cotton fabric. On the runway, a zip-up vest with navy stripes going vertically, and the same badge, is worn over a suit jacket. This looks quite striking, if not slightly uncomfortable.
This stitched-on crest features luxurious metallic threads that form elements consisting of a Greek laurel motif, an anchor and chain, an English crown, and a motto ribbon of “Junior”.
The smell of success
1993 was an important year for Gaultier’s career, as he debuted his Classique* perfume, marking his entry into the fragrance industry. The reality is that all the large fashion houses make most of their profit from accessories such as sunglasses, perfume, and handbags.
As many luxury brands are deemed out of reach for most consumers, designer fragrances are a more cost-effective way to access haute couture.
*The fragrance was released as JPGaultier Eau de Parfum in 1993 and renamed Classique in 1995.
