At Jean Paul Gaultier, Chitose Abe infused her Sacai signatures into the Haute Couture collection for something that remained very JPG, but with a twist.
Iconic shapes like the cone bra, de- then reconstructed trenches, mariniere motifs and fantastically reimagined sailor hats met with Abe’s signatures—MA1 bombers, patchwork intricacies and combination pieces that spliced lingerie with outerwear. Prior to founding Sacai, Abe cam from the camps of Comme des Garçons, Rei Kawakubo as a pattern cutter, and later Junya Watanabe.
At once whimsical, futuristic, punk and possibly a touch cosplay, the collection paid homage to Gaultier’s history with a natural thread of enfant terrible, as Mr. Gaultier was called throughout his career. A character for every mood, volume and silhouette clashed with proportion in the best way possible, carried down the runway atop Nike and Pierre Hardy boots.
Highlights included the Madonna corset in stripes, patchworked knits, oversized accordion-waisted skirts, a vintage jean repurposed underskirt, recreation of a jacket from JPG’s ‘94 fashion show, and a secondary collaboration with L.A. based Dr.Woo for the mesh tatuage section of the show. The models seemed to glow with an otherworldly presence under dramatic Alex de Betak lighting as JPG’s own “Aow Tou Dou Zat” house track played.
