Jean Paul Gaultier on exhibit

"The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk," on display at the Dallas Museum of Art, presents a career retrospective of the French designer's eclectic fashions, from his bold haute couture to his outlandish and sexually provocative costumes for music and film.

Designer Jean Paul Gaultier at the Dallas Museum of Art's exhibition of his work, "The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk," November 2011.

The exhibition's various sections offer a thematic approach to Gaultier's work and his influences, from Parisian streets to science fiction.

The "Boudoir" gallery is filled with examples of the designer's trademark corsets, waist-cinchers, and lingerie, as inspired by childhood memories of his grandmother's wardrobe, and by the 1945 film "Falbalas" ("Paris Frills"), about a dressmaker. Through Gaultier's manipulation, cone-shaped bras, corsets and cage dresses became symbols of power.

The "Urban Jungle" section of the exhibition shows multicultural and ethnically-diverse influences, from Arabs of the Barbes neighborhood of Paris and boubou-clad Africans to dress worn in China, Russian and India.

At left: "Les Cages" [Cages], from Gaultier's Haute couture Fall/Winter 2008-2009 collection.

The "Metropolis" room displays some of Gaultier's most futuristic designs, heavily influenced by new wave and house music, advanced technology and science fiction, and incorporating unusual materials such as vinyl, neoprene and inflatables. Here also are some of Gaultier's creations for pop artists and film stars.

Featured at center: A Barbarella body-corset from the Haute couture Fall/Winter 2009-2010 "Movie Stars" collection.

A view of the "Metropolis" gallery at "The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk," on display at the Dallas Museum of Art.

"Skin Deep" features clothes that serve as a second skin - sometimes giving the illusion of nudity through trompe-l'oeil effects. Included are samples designed for the films of Pedro Almodovar.

A view of the "Skin Deep" gallery at "The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk," on display at the Dallas Museum of Art.

French designer Jean Paul Gaultier acknowledges the public following his Spring/Summer 2012 ready-to-wear collection show, on October 1, 2011 in Paris.

"The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk" is the first-ever retrospective on the eclectic designer, published in conjunction with the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. It explores his inspirations and his work in pop/rock music, film/video, and dance, and features archival documents, previously-unpublished illustrations, and more than 50 interviews with Gaultier colleagues and muses.

"The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk" - Edited by Thierry-Maxime Loriot with an essay by Suzy Menkes (Abrams Books)

For more info:

jeanpaulgaultier.com
"The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk" is at the Dallas Museum of Art through February 12, 2012
The exhibition will travel to the de Young Museum in San Francisco on March 24
The exhibit first started at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts