"The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk" at the de Young museum.

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by Ekaterina Levina
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I love fashion. I especially adore decorative and handmade elements – lace, ribbons, feathers, embroidery and beading. I spent a few hours looking at examples of wonderful craftsmanship at the Gaultier’s show. Meticulously hand-made and lavishly decorated clothes had an amazingly light-hearted and optimistic feel about them. The show has a lot of themes with its pop-culture, cinema, sexual and ethnic references.

Talking mannequins with animated faces thanks to video projections make the exhibit very entertaining. I’ve found them amusing but a bit distracting from the design. I loved one of the talking installations – a male mannequin, dressed up in a regular shirt with a tie and a ball gown with feathers, who was talking to his “reflection” about freedom to choose any style and garments you want to wear. I think that his speech summarizes the message of the exhibit, “Don’t think about other people looking. Be yourself.” True to this is also an excerpt from a classified ad placed by Jean Paul Gaultier at the entrance to the show - "Non-conformist designer seeks unusual models - the conventionally pretty need not apply."

Gaultier’s show is definitely the one I will visit a few more times.