For my Architects of Man series so far (& for many more to come I suspect) I’ve had to rely on the internet to find images as sadly my invites to the top runway shows must be getting lost in the mail…
However, toward the end of May I was fortunate enough to finally see the work of one such designer up close and personal, and such an experience certainly enhances the appreciation of the architectural quality of his work.
Jean Paul Gaultier joins Alexander McQueen in the “Enfant Terrible” clan however, unlike McQueen and in the true spirit of the unconventional; Gauliter was never formally trained as a designer. It is his perseverance, experience & a rather unique view of the world has made Gaultier one of the most recognised names in the industry.
So what wondrous experience found me surrounded by the Gauliter back catalogue? Whilst on a trip to London coincidence granted me the gift of the Barbican’s “The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk” Exhibition.
Putting aside (for now) the surreal and fascinating quality of the Barbican as a space itself, entering the exhibition must be the closest thing to like falling down the rabbit hole. It is the colour & magnitude of Gaultier's work that first strikes you, everywhere you look you are faced with humans complimented & contorted & bursting with brilliant shades of all colours imaginable.
Most interesting to me is Gaultier's materiality & form, Corsetry is a heavy influence and so there is a real sense of structure in his work. And like any Architect, he builds elaborate & delicate forms on this solid foundation to create truly remarkable shapes. Building on this, he has a fascinating approach to his materiality, using unconventional materials to create an entire different texture. Particularly memorable pieces for me was a corset covered in crystals that came to resemble a deformed skeleton & a leopard skin that upon closer inspection as created entirely from beads (my mind was blown at this point).
In a bid to prevent this turning into an essay (I could easily write about this all day, analysing each individual piece) I shall say the collection as a whole really strengthens the Architect-Designer relationship. Everything Gaultier does has an architectural quality to it. He plays with scale in an array of obscenely fantastic feathered headdresses & exaggerated hip/shoulder pieces. He uses materiality to manipulate texture & form, Feathered dresses take on a surface that could easily be mistaken for timber & another simple yet effective use of silk ties sewn together to create a dress that is the most complimentary counterpart I have ever seen for the female form (it just glided over every curve perfectly).
Perhaps it’s due to Gaultier never having been formally trained that makes his approach so transferrable between disciplines, to me it feels as though he has looked beyond the catwalk as he has grown. His work feels as though it fits better into the arts & cultural movements far better than historical fashion trends. This gives his work a ‘lasting’ quality, they will be difficult to align to any time period, always looking as good as they did on day they were made. This in fashion is a highly enviable skill & something that (by judging the external appearance of the Barbican) both Designers and Architects could learn from.
“The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk” runs in the Barbican until 25th August, don’t miss it!http://www.barbican.org.uk/artgallery/event-detail.asp?ID=14772
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