The 'Moroccan' collection of Jean-Paul Gaultier, one of the most exquisite Parisian designers, was a brilliant conclusion to the Parisian Haute Couture Week spring / summer 2005. Report from the show - from the Izvestia columnist Lydia Shamina.
For those who don’t know: Paris is an unspoken European center for supporting African culture, and fashion, as a national treasure of France, could not stand aside. On the last day of the Haute Couture Week, two African collections - from Francois Sorbier and Jean-Paul Gaultier - became the cherry on top. But if it is more appropriate to write about the first in the secular chronicle, then Gaultier presented a unique fashion vinaigrette of exquisite Parisian chic and pristine African folklore.
To begin with, the female models, entirely of a pronounced African appearance, represented all shades of dark skin - from the bluish-violet Alec Vek to Naomi Campbell's cappuccino, then towards milk chocolate. And all this model tribe moved to variations on the African theme - to the sounds of tom-toms, albeit subtly stylized, with vocals and keyboards.
The main hit is African masks, which Gaultier first used as the main building tool for creating evening dresses. With the help of braid, ribbons, metal jewelry, lace, fringes and draperies, he masterly painted on dresses (in the most unexpected places) luscious full lips, rounded eyes and even flattened noses - and at each recognition, the amazed audience applauded with joy.
However, the African decoy (including bags made of turtle shells, bijou made of tusks, intricate hairstyles from braids and ornaments of the Masai tribe) is not at all a feature of the collection, but only its shape. The main thing is the impeccable cut of each of 34 models, which, by the way, bore the most exotic names - Mombasa, Zanzibar, Zumba, Noubetc., Etc., etc. No wonder, to create a collection, Gaultier refused the services of thirty seamstresses (leaving only a select few professionals in the team, who switched to him after the closure of the Yves Saint-Laurent Fashion House) and the show of the men's collection - all efforts were thrown on the quality of haute couture with an African accent (which is not surprising - African theme is in great demand in Europe). Efforts were expressed in the creation of quite wearable safari-style suits in a masculine way: wide bell-bottomed trousers and fitted jackets that slightly cover the hip. And at the same time, the collection looked extremely feminine - thanks to the abundance of corsets and sleeves so beloved by Gaultier, often turning into soft cape lines. The main colors of the spring / summer 2005 collection from Gaultier are terracotta and purple, the striking details are beads, bone, shells (sometimes the whole dress was made of them), the main shoe silhouette is a moderate platform with a thick round heel and a transparent plastic top. When the bride came out, traditionally completing the collection, a `chocolate 'in a snow-white chiffon triangle bikini, the audience froze: with such regal status she carried in front of her a carved wooden shield - also a mask. And in the back there was a snow-white train made of organza - three meters long. The main colors of the spring / summer 2005 collection from Gaultier are terracotta and purple, the striking details are beads, bone, shells (sometimes the whole dress was made of them), the main shoe silhouette is a moderate platform with a thick round heel and a transparent plastic top. When the bride came out, traditionally completing the collection, a `chocolate 'in a snow-white chiffon triangle bikini, the audience froze: with such regal status she carried in front of her a carved wooden shield - also a mask. And in the back there was a snow-white train made of organza - three meters long. The main colors of the spring / summer 2005 collection from Gaultier are terracotta and purple, percussive details - beads, bone, shells (sometimes the whole dress was made from them), the main shoe silhouette is a moderate platform with a thick round heel and a transparent plastic top. When the bride came out, traditionally completing the collection, a `chocolate 'in a snow-white chiffon triangle bikini, the audience froze: with such regal status she carried in front of her a carved wooden shield - also a mask. And in the back there was a snow-white train made of organza - three meters long.`chocolate` in a snow-white chiffon triangle bikini, the audience froze: with such regal status she carried in front of her a carved wooden shield - also a mask. And in the back there was a snow-white train made of organza - three meters long.`chocolate` in a snow-white chiffon triangle bikini, the audience froze: with such regal status she carried in front of her a carved wooden shield - also a mask. And in the back there was a snow-white train made of organza - three meters long.
Lydia SHAMINA
izvestia.ru