5 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT JEAN PAUL GAULTIER (zhahn-paul-go-tee-ay)
Jean Paul Gaultier (Source: Hauteliving)
1. Everyone probably remembers the cone shaped bra Jean Paul Gaultier designed for Madonna to wear during her ‘Blonde Ambition’ Tour in 1990. However, the first cone-shaped bra he made wasn’t for Madonna but for…wait for it….his teddy bear. When he was seven, he would dress teddy dearest in various quirky outfits. Talk about being a fashion design prodigy (if not a little creepy).
Madonna in the infamous cone-shaped bra. (Source: thestylenotebook.com)
Nana, his first teddy bear, wearing the now-iconic cone shaped bra. (Source: SFist)
2. Remember how our parents or grandparents used to make us help them with small favours? Well, even designer extraordinaire Jean Paul Gaultier didn’t have it any different. His grandmother would ask him to help lace up her corset while getting ready (again, a little creepy, but whatever), which sparked off his obsession with the female figure. Who would have thought that his grandma would have inspired his trademark corset dresses?
Jean Paul Gaultier’s first female scent launch in 1993/Dada collection, prêt-a-porter S/S 1983 (Source: Fragrantica/SFist)
3. If there’s one thing Jean Paul Gaultier lives by, it’s his belief in gender equality. The former creative director of Hermes stands by the fact that there is no clothing (except for the bra) that is particularly for a male or a female. We can see this in his menswear collection, where some of the male models strut down the runway in skirts.
Male models in skirts from Jean Paul Gaultier’s Fall 2012 Menswear collection (Source: Style)
4. Unlike other designers who require their models to be of a certain look and size, Jean Paul Gaultier is known to use models of different shapes and sizes, varying ages and even heavily tattooed or pierced models. The avant-garde French designer once stated that he never bothers about what fashion’s ideal is, because there is a huge variety of beauty and he aims to always try and show that in his collections.
Jean Paul Gaultier Spring 2012 RTW Collection/Beth Ditto in Jean Paul Gaultier Spring 2011 RTW Collection (Source: Style/Style)
5. If you’re looking for a dance single to replace the one stuck in your head, why not listen to Jean Paul Gaultier’s dance single (released in 1988) ‘How To Do That’!
