The French couturier and lover of art and theater took his audience back in time on Wednesday to a Renaissance universe of court jesters, fairytale maidens and cantering horses. It was worn on a model with swept-back hair and nude makeup. With its intricate white embroidered patterning resembling a totem, it was an impressive piece of design.Ī sorceress feel infused other creations, such as one bejeweled, silver-tasseled number with a sparkling choker that seemed to hark from a fantasy movie. There was an ethnic feel to the textures and patterns, and a nice geometry in the garment’s pared-down straps that exposed the model’s flesh.Īnother piece, a high priest-cum-bird look, was surely the piece de resistance: A red-black feathered A-line cape with strong shoulders worn on a male model that powerfully swept the floor. There was something shamanic in the air at Elie Saab, as the Lebanese designer fused his usual show-stopping fare with the supernatural in a rare co-ed show.įlame red and charcoal black feathers, which seemed to burn up the skirt of the first black gown in a V, set the otherworldly tone. The old Gaultier faithful, such as Spanish actress and muse Rossy de Palma, were out in force to support the effort - alongside a speckling of RuPaul's Drag Race stars, including Simone and Gigi Goode. West wore a waistcoat, like the couturier did as he held hands with his then best friend, for whom he designed several garments including the conical bra look for the singer’s Blond Ambition tour.

Kardashian’s version here was more tame, with skin-colored inserts. The styling was flawless in this homage, in which Kardashian channeled the pinstriped Gaultier dress that at the time spawned headlines around the world. Nobody seemed to mind.Ī blond Kardashian and daughter spurred a dazzle of paparazzi snaps walking up the stone steps of central Paris’ Gaultier HQ dressed in the image of Madonna when she controversially appeared - with exposed breasts - with Jean Paul Gaultier at a 1992 amfAR fundraiser in Los Angeles, California. In purely aesthetic terms, many of the looks veered off into pastiche or costume. He fused his personal styles upon the Gaultier house codes and many of the styles - flowing capes, caps and layering - captured ones seen before on the Balmain runway. That was seen as a political statement supporting lesbians having medically assisted reproduction, something the French parliament allowed last year.īeyond homage, this couture was definitely very Rousteing. There were genuinely touching moments, such as when two models walked together in pregnant conical bra looks in black and flesh, touching their bellies.

Elsewhere the famed pinstriped menswear tuxedo jacket, with voluminous proportions, was reimagined beneath a body-shaped corset. Garnering applause from the enthusiastic audience, one model strutted forth with a metal choker, striped glass top and tin micro mini. Rousteing took Gaultier’s torso-shaped perfume bottle “Le Male,” which features a metal strap under the nozzle - and turned it into several looks. Taking the codes of Gaultier - such as structured tailoring, Breton striped nautical tops and the conical bra - Rousteing let his hair down on Wednesday for an infectious and tongue-in-cheek fashion homage to Jean Paul Gaultier, who retired from couture in 2020 after a 50-year runway career.

Designer head scarf