Gaultier’s Autumn/Winter 1991 men’s collection, ‘Les Prisonnier,’ was inspired by the British science fiction spy thriller The Prisoner. The show explores the journey of a former government agent (known only as Number Six and played by Patrick McGoohan) who abruptly resigns from his job, and is knocked out with a suspicious gas, only to awake in a mysterious seaside village. 

The TV series was set in Portmeirion, an Italianate folly village in North Wales, which was designed and built by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis between 1925 and 1975. You can stay at the houses in the village, which I’ve done a few times and can highly recommend.  

Throughout most of the series, the protagonist No. 6 was dressed in a rowing blazer which had white piping around the collar, and ‘broken’ piping on the lapels, continuing along the lower front and rear bottom edge. Although the colour of the dark fabric appears black, it is in fact dark brown. This iconic blazer looks to have been given the Gaultier treatment for the collection, with a black dinner jacket sporting white piping broken up with horizontal, coloured stripes. From the low-quality runway photos, there appears to be a negative version of the jacket, which is white with black piping.

A prisoner can’t change its stripes

The runway collection boasted men’s leggings teamed with tight tops in simple blocks of yellow, black and red, with bold stripes. The women’s catwalk show “French Cancan” included a dress that picked up the colour block theme in the same colour combination of black with bold yellow stripes and red cuffs, with additional stripes for the “V-neck” neckline. Many of the items in the collection appear to be balanced stripes designed with a symmetrical layout consisting of bright, multicoloured, contrasting vertical stripes ranging in thickness. 

The striped theme could be influenced by the striped scarves that most of the inhabitants of the village wear. Or did it come from the distinctive striped canvas top and seat covers of the Mini Moke car driven by Patrick McGoohan, around the Village? Without a stripe in sight, an orange duffle coat, perfect when escaping a coastal village, bounds onto the runway in a shock of colour. 

If I hadn’t seen this sweater identified as coming from the ‘Les Prisonnier’ collection by Instagram’s best Junior Gaultier resource, @gaultierjuniorhigh any indication of its provenance would have passed me by. The pullover boasts a similar array of stripes to the collection, but the most interesting component is a very robust patch on the sleeve. This patch is one of many brandings used on Junior clothing that could have been inspired by the logos of several well-established clothing brands, such as Dickies, Everlast, or Coca-Cola.  

Vote for No. 6

In the fourth episode of the series entitled “Free for All”, Number Six is persuaded to run for election to the post of Number Two in the hope of getting to meet the entity in charge of the Village, Number One. Two graphical Junior Gaultier t-shirt designs unashamedly flaunt the “Vote for No. 6” command, combined with Jean Paul’s face. I would adore to own the version (below) with the slightly menacing Mr Gaultier peering through the number six. The end credits of the TV show feature a cutout of Patrick McGoohan’s head, exactly like the shirt, only with prison bars appearing over it.   

The image of Gaultier is the exact one featured on the cover art for his single, “Aow Tou Dou Zat” (How to Do That) designed by Jean-Baptiste Mondino in 1989. The image is further repurposed as an embroidered patch for the inside of some Junior Gaultier articles of clothing.  

There is a second, grungier version of our hero’s head and shoulders, looking back at us. Interestingly, the worn typewriter font on this design spells out number six as “n. 6”. There are other simplistic items in this collection that just bear the lettering in a flocking, although the “Vote for No 6” words can be seen adorning the back of a skintight metallic top in the women’s catwalk show “French Cancan”. 

Another Junior Gaultier item from the same collection, which revels in the stripe theme, is a jumper with a three-dimensional “Junior” spell out. The blue version I had was too small for me, but a size large is definitely on my wish list. The jumper was available in yellow and red, as well as the vibrant blue version below. 

Even after all these years, Number 6 never escaped, but at least he’s imprisoned in style. 

The post Be Number One And Be A Free Man With Junior Gaultier “Le Prisonnier” F/W 1991-92 first appeared on Vintage Jean Paul Gaultier & Junior Gaultier Collections.

Casanova, the pimp, the gambler, the fugitive, and the travel writer

In the 18th century, men’s wigs were powdered to give them their distinctive white colour and were symbolic of decadence, something Giacomo Casanova would have enjoyed. Casanova’s reputation for being a womaniser was well documented, but he was also a very intelligent man, graduating with a law degree at age 17 and in the same year losing his virginity to two sisters aged 14 and 16. From reading about his exploits, he probably broke most of the laws he learned about. Of course, if you were pimping out your ex-lovers to King Louis XV, you would probably get away with a few indiscretions.

The shirt is a gossamer-thin mesh material emblazoned with the most intricate illustrative elements linked by chains. Large American eagles are gripping barbed wire as dainty skeletons dance and baroque beauties dangle from hoops. The two most endearing motifs are a motorcycle with “Junior” on its registration plate and an image of Jean Paul as Mister Universe, encircled with a bicycle chain(?), lifting dumbbells. As well as the periwinkle blue coloured shirt I’m sporting, there are also green and red versions available.

Marvel at Jean Paul Gaultier pumping iron

I love this collection and think that the opposing themes of decadence gym/club wear pair perfectly, with elegant ruffles and sharp tailoring mixed with sexy mesh and sporty leggings. One item that stands out is a lace-up bustier come vest version of the top worn by Naomi Campbell in the women’s collection of the same season, “Concours d’Elegance” (Competition of Elegance).

Photograph © juniorgaultier.com

Gym Shoes for a Dandy

This high-top version of the thick-soled, leather and suede sneakers from the men’s “Casanova at the Gym” collection compliments the sportswear theme of the women’s show.

The rubber patch on the tongue shamelessly parodies the Converse All Stars logo, with the arrow swoosh being a more subtle nod to Nike.

The post Big Wig Wins Mister Universe With Junior Gaultier “Casanova at the Gym” S/S 1992 first appeared on Vintage Jean Paul Gaultier & Junior Gaultier Collections.

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.

The post All You Need to Look Fashionable in the Forest – Junior Gaultier “Robin Des Bois” F/W 1988-89 first appeared on Vintage Jean Paul Gaultier & Junior Gaultier Collections.

In 1989, Jean-Paul Gaultier designed costume designs for Peter Greenaway’s film “The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover’. The shoes below are from the FW 1988-89 “Robin Des Bois” collection and I bought them from an extra who wore them in the film. This makes me wonder what other Junior Gaultier items were featured in the movie.

In 1978 for his first collection, Gaultier partnered with Japanese clothing manufacturer Kashiyama. In 1981 Gaultier changed his partner and Kashiyama continued to produce Gaultier products under licence for Japan and the Far East. In 1989 Kashiyama took a 60 per cent stake in Junior SpA, the Italian manufacturer of the Junior Gaultier line.

In April 1994 Gaultier president Donald Potard announced that the house would be ending its license with Kashiyama for the Junior Gaultier collection and discontinuing the line, making the fall-winter season the last for Junior Gaultier.

Following the news of Jean Paul Gaultier signing a license with Stile Moda of Italy to produce a new unisex line for women and men called JPG, Potard went on to tell Women’s Wear Daily “The aim is to create a line that’s moderately priced and sportswear-oriented. In a sense, we want to get back to what Junior Gaultier was in the beginning — a youthful line that was produced in industrial quantities. Instead, Junior Gaultier got too far away from its original idea and became too expensive.”

The Junior Gaultier name was reused in 2009 for a children’s wear line, which can confuse! Take a look at the collections that the Junior Gaultier line has appeared in.

The post When was Jean Paul Gaultier’s Junior Gaultier label launched? first appeared on Vintage Jean Paul Gaultier & Junior Gaultier Collections.