Accompanied by a group of 13 OSU Design Housing and Merchandising students and my colleague Paulette, I had the pronounced pleasure of experiencing an outstanding display of the magnificent work resulting from Jean-Paul Gaultier’s unique vision.
The exhibition style has garnered a lot of attention due to the technology used. Visitors were greeted by a mannequin of Jean-Paul Gaultier in a sailor-striped shirt with a projection of his face on the blank mannequin head and his voice explaining the exhibit. All of the display mannequins had full-color faces projected on them, showing active expression by blinking, moving their mouths, etc., and many of them would make verbal comments from time to time. After the initial surprise of the mannequins, however, focusing on the clothes absorbed our senses for the next three hours.
Four major rooms grouped the work into themes, not really reflecting time periods, but general styles of work. Some of the work revealed direct relationships to world events of the time they were produced, and it was a real pleasure to discuss trend forecasting and diffusion with the students. The versatility of his work, from movie costumes to evening gowns and revolutionary man-skirts, also provided rich student discussions about developing a personal style.
Mr. Gaultier is a true visionary, in the sense that he has a definite artistic sensibility and is capable of bringing together all the necessary elements in order to bring a concept into reality. In the French fashion system, there is a distinction between the “createur/stylist” who designs the clothes, and the “modelist” who translates the design concept into 3-D reality. While Mr. Gaultier openly admits that he is not a modelist, he certainly knows how to draw the most talented craftsmen and women into his workrooms. This exhibit was particularly meaningful to me, as I had the privilege of personally learning from one of those incredibly talented craftsmen, Jean-Pierre Tretz, the French milliner who made the phenomenal hats on display, as well as the straw corset and the leather trappings for the Madonna Confession’s tour. Many ITAA members and students have also studied with Mr. Tretz through participating in programs at the Paris American Academy. It is too bad that exhibits such as these do not honor the “hands behind the brands.” A simple photo and small mention would have been meaningful. The exhibit book is actually a collection of essays about inspirational people in Mr. Gaultier’s life. It includes most of the images from the exhibit, and gives insight into the diverse and turbulent world of this game-changing designer. An exhibit to remember, most certainly!
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| Entrance to the exhibit |
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| Mr. Gaultier designed these pieces specifically for the Dallas exhibit. |
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