The World of JPG

Jean Paul Gaultier has become one of the fashion world's most respected designers - his work ranging from the iconic Cone Bra for Madonna, the complete set of costumes for the cult sci-fi favourite, The Fifth Element, his landmark "Virgins" collection in 2007 and dressing the wacky but wonderful pop artist, Lady Gaga. To celebrate these and the many other distinguishable works, the Brooklyn Museum has launched a retrospective exhibition for the designer. 

The exhibition makes homage to the masterful couturier skills the designer holds, managing to bring back trends from eras past - the '20s Flapper dress, nautical stripes, silk corsets and bustiers, and the always glamorous sequin detail. His design aesthetic iconically reinterprets the hyper sexuality, rebelliousness, historical and over-addiction to glamour and extravagance that various factions of society holds into the fashion scene of the times.

 "The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From The Sidewalk to The Catwalk", boasts the best and most iconic Haute Couture and Ready to Wear pieces from his body of work - approximately 140, if you want figures. The exhibition is now open to the public, running until February 23, 2014. 

For more information on the exhibition, FOLLOW THIS LINK

Images courtesy of Racked and Brooklyn Museum
Video courtesy of the official Jean Paul Gaultier Youtube channel

Sustainable Style

I've recently just finished reading Shaping Sustainable Fashion by Alison Gwilt and Timo Rissanen, and is a read I'd definitely recommend to anyone in the fashion industry. The book is separated into chapters which explain how sustianable and eco-friendly practices can be incorporated into the fashion design process, and has profiles on many sustainable and eco-friendly fashion labels, including the one and only Maison Martin Margiela! From reading this I have learned how to be more sustainable on my part as a fashion consumer, with the wonderful ideas and real life stories of people in the fashion industry slowing down fashion, refashioning garments, and even "upcycling" garments they had no use for anymore. Since I am also studying Sustainable Design this term, this book has helped me, and the combination of what I learn in class and what I have learnt from this book, I will definitely be more aware of what my actions can impact on the environment and society as a whole. Oh and don't mind the Jean Paul Gaultier "Le Male" card, it's just a bookmark!

Bad move, Mr. Gaultier

The resemblance is uncanny

Image courtesy of artinfo

The legendary Jean Paul Gaultier unveiled a most controversial collection, featuring models who no doubt resembled the late and great Amy Winehouse. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely adore Jean Paul Gaultier's work, and the ability to cause controversy is one of his forte's, but I thought this show lacked taste and courtesy. 

The craftsmanship of the Haute Couture line is undeniable, but pairing the ensembles with the sensational singer's signature Beehive and winged eyeshadow was brave, especially since the death of Amy is still fresh in our minds and hearts. Bad move, Mr. Gaultier, bad move.

View the show on FashionTV

Image courtesy of Glamour

Day 2 - Paris Men's Fashion Week

The second day in Paris featured runway shows from famous designers from different parts of the world, including  Kolor, Viktor & Rolf Monsieur, Louis Vuitton (which I watched through the brand's live stream), Yohji Yamamoto, Jean Paul Gaultier and one of my favourite labels, Issey Miyake. It was a surprise to me that Issey Miyake's collection did not capture my attention this time around, but there's always a first for everything!

The stand out collections for me were 3.1 Phillip Lim, Alexis Mabille, Rick Owens and Dries Van Noten.

3.1 Phillip Lim FW12

Images courtesy of Fashionising

The structure of the garments of 3.1 by Phillip Lim is what appealed to me the most. Along with that, the use of clear plastic vinyl, the showing of creeper style shoes and the muted brights clashing with the neutrals made this collection outstanding.

Alexis Mabille FW12

Images courtesy of Fashionising

The attention to detail and intricacy of these details in this collection is amazing. Collared shirts featured lace collars or chiffon and lace detailing in the chest, trousers were emblazoned or mismatched with quilted fabric and the punk chokers around the calves of the models gave this whole collection a feeling of reserved rebellion.

Rick Owens FW12

Images courtesy of Fashionising

It is no secret that Rick Owens embodies his own label by the way he dresses, and that he loves to see a skirt on a man. In this collection, I saw much less men's skirts than usual, and saw more focus on stiff structure in garments for the male form. Rick always manages to tweak the most basic of garments into a piece of art, for example, the draping of the typical tough leather jacket at the neckline and the taking off of a button on the blazers. Rick has once again given to us androgynous chic for the coming season.

Dries Van Noten FW12

Video courtesy of Bayoucool

One of my favourite designers, Dries Van Noten, presented such a vibrantly creative show and collection! In recent years, Dries Van Noten has created iconic prints for his collections and I loved how the prints of the garments correlated with the paintings which were done whilst the show was on! I couldn't pick out which pieces were my favourites so I decided to post the video for you to see!