The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier Docent Lecture

This docent lecture/slideshow presents works of Jean Paul Gaultier, fashion's enfant terrible, on exhibit at the deYoung Museum from March 24-August 19, 2012. Jean Paul Gaultier launched his first pret-a-porter collection in 1976 and founded his own couture house in 1997. Emerging as a designer in the 1980s, he developed his own dress codes that reflected the changing world around him. Gaultier uses his designs to tackle gender and transgender issues through androgynous, gender-bending styles. Always provocative, he addresses issues of multiculturalism by bringing ethnic diversity to the Paris runway. Despite the gritty and sometimes controversial context of his collections, the clothes remain beautiful, superbly crafted with the finest dressmaking and detailing skills.