JEAN PAUL GAULTIER...

STANDS OUT

In this post i have included a few images of my favourite collections from this legendary designer.

In my opinion Gaultier always strikes the perfect balance and contrast in everything; structure and drape, colour and neutralisation, print and plain, shiny and matt, fitted and baggy, glamorous to casual.

Everything he produces has the unique and distinctive style of a Jean Paul Gaultier.

Jean Paul Gaultier is never pretty - Always sexy. There's an edge.

Colour plays a key part in his most memorable collections, the colours he uses together are never normally ones that "typically" go together, in fact more often than not they clash making attention grabbing pieces. He highlights these with heavy embellishments and uses various textures of fabric within one item.

His catwalk shows are styled to perfection each outfit showing sometimes as many as ten garments within one outfit.key to his image are his collections of hats, making for an everyday almost boyish look.

In this image are truly some of the most beautiful designs i have ever seen. He uses structural elements to emphasise and enhance the female form, he exaggerates and creates an illusion of curves. He uses a modernistic colour palette complimented by a 50's glamour silhouette. I love that his corsetry  can make a woman look like so much of a  sex object with out looking slutty. He gives them a Marilyn Monroe / Elizabeth Taylor factor.

When researching Gaulier this image stood out the most, maybe because it is the most relevant to contemporary subcultures, which is interesting as it is by no means a new collection. Is this because it is undeniably timeless or maybe because the fashion cycle has been round it's full life cycle and we are now back to where we started when this collection was originally shown.
Sport plays a key part in both outfits featured in this picture. It is admirable how graceful and elegant he has made something that is perceived to be the opposite.
He uses bright colours, reflective fabrics and loose cuts to create this super cool ensemble. It reflects greatly the urban style of the NU-Flow culture.

WEARABLE, EFFORTLESS, FASHION

Alexander Wang S/S 2010

Layers of layers of layers

Varsity style

Mark Fast S/S 10

loose fit = sexier (more to be imagined)

One of the many appeals of Alexander Wangs loose fit, varsity casual collection is that as well as looking good they probably feel good to wear. Normally seeing models strutting around in tiny, tight dresses and mile high heels, although they look amazing you know it’s probably not that easy to do the necessary’s – walking and breathing.

A detail that stays in my head from this particular collection is the double trousers which look pretty much the same as you’re average Joe Scrub strolling down the street with his arse hanging out … it looks so “laddish” that it accentuates everything woman in the person wearing it. This is a styling technique used in Nu-Flow constantly, wearing the baggy and scruffy to make yourself look tiny and essentially ultra feminine.

For his Varsity sports collection he took, the fantasy, romanticised American high school dream and gave it a uniform; he ripped it, widened it, made it shorter. The general look of the collection is customisation, the models look as if they stretched and took some sheers to their everyday uniforms and just rocked up in it one day.

 Influences of Wang S/S 2010 was starting to appear in the high street almost straight away after hitting the press. It’s a style that fits into everyday life, you look at it and think , “I could actually maybe pull that off” loose knit, slouchy trousers, cropped tops, big pockets and the element that MADE IT…….. The loose plat!

If I could some up the overall style of KTZ clothes in one word it would be FUN!

KTZ = BIG, BOLD and COLOURFUL!

It’s all about ATTENTION SEEKING pieces.

How does it relate to the Nu – Flow dance culture?????? Obvious similarities and influences are: use of bright colours and larger than life patterns, a powerful overall image, an urban feel within the sporty cut. The name KTZ is printed on allot of the clothes, mainly on menswear, in particular on jackets, reminding me of crew branding, tagging and representation.

The menswear in sep 09 is obviously inspired by American sportswear, with strong references to basketball and baseball.

What particularly interested me about this collection were the accessories; futuristic sunglasses and a mix of slouchy and structural bags.  The three main themes splashed throughout the collection appear to be SPORT, SPACE and THE 90’S. Metallic fabrics and padded bomber jackets sadly reminded me of the spice girls jackets we all loved in infant school… but then again is that what we love about this LOUD collection, cos really it’s kind of to do with “girl power.”

KTZ @ ON|OFF - London Fashion Week

I watched this runway live when I was working for on|off in 09, from that whole week of shows it was the one that stayed with me. This was maybe because I both LOVED and HATED it! It’s sort of beautiful in its tacky eccentricity!!!!!! The hairstyle links to the idea of space and the future, the tiny wiry plats look almost like TV aerials or antenna, this makes the collection humorous. I always think it’s nice when a designer doesn’t take themselves too seriously.

The models were given a personality with the displays theatrical content, it wasn’t entirely obvious, it was merely suggested in the tone underlaying the way in which the models walked down the runway; confident and attention grabbing; a caricature of the usual struttings of a couture model, youthful, vibrant and brimming with attitude. I LOVE that the male models stop to eye each other up, as if they’re going to start a fight, a long with the music this, highlights/points at/draws a ring around, the fact that this collection is based on street culture.

For me KTZ clothing is about showing off just like the Nu Flow culture. It’s about standing out without looking like you care about it, you just kind of have a natural swagger about you that you didn’t have to try to achieve; it just happened, it’s just there.