Saturday March 6th, 2010 – 325 rue Saint Martin 75003 – Paris
When people think of la femme française, it usually conjures up images of la dame blanche whose style aesthetics is often an extension of her culture’s deep, rich history. But for Jean Paul Gaultier’s fall 2010 collection, those clichés were thrown out of the window, as he showed that the contemporary frenchwoman’s aesthetic is born out of France’s new multicultural identity. From China to Mexico, Peru to Russia, South Africa to Brazil, this collection reflected France’s new identity through its smart, colorful use of exotic textures, patterns and prints. Never one to shy from playing with unconventional materials, JPG delivered an energetic show that felt like a fashion field trip on the Oriental Express.
A Masai metallic necklace under a leather perfecto with a Peruvian print skirt over a black Vichy print pants and geisha shoes looked effortlessly balanced and complimentary. Sportswear elements were experimented on, producing classic grey cotton sweatpants with balkan tapestry married to fur-collar trimmed and embroidered flower jackets. African print turbans served as contrasts to the signature JPG “pull marin” striped sweater. JPG favorite and more-than-fit-to-be-a-model Coco Rocha wore a chinese silk print dress under a peacoat with red cowboy boots while Frida Gustavsson wore her chinese silk top under a typical black Vichy french trench coat.
“Today’s world is about mixes” said a jubilant Jean Paul Gaultier to reporters backstage. Indeed, this latest collection showed that embracing the foreign can give way to the beautiful, that the new French glamour is greater than the sum of all its multiethnic parts, and that the genius of one intrepid couturier can sow the threads of cultural differences into an harmonious collection.
Shop Jean Paul Gaultier’s latest collection via Nordstrom.com
Visit jeanpaulgaultier.com for store location
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