Jean Paul Gaultier Couture by Julien Dossena: Archival Fashion, Anew
Julien Dossena put forth a modern and fresh take on how fashion archives can be reinterpreted during his show as the latest guest designer for Jean Paul Gaultier Haute Couture. The presentation, held at the brand’s Paris headquarters on July 5, was created especially with the house’s sprawling archive in mind. Picture this: gilded, ostentatious, ornate, military-style blazers with matching headpieces; pinstripe bustier corset suits; and golden, liquid-mesh chainmail gowns all hit the runway during the very first moments of the show.
In the darkened arena, a spotlight followed each model on a catwalk so narrow that legs and wandering phones easily invaded the aisles. “I really wanted to be close to the people so they can almost be touched by the dresses,” Dossena told me a few days before his Gaultier debut, from the Paris atelier on the Rue Saint-Martin. “I remember the old shows of Jean Paul, which