For several seasons, the great couturier Jean Paul Gaultier retired but entrusted the reins of his maison to various stylists. After the Japanese Chitose Abe (head of the Sacai brand she founded), the Belgian Glenn Martens (current artistic director of Y/Project and Diesel) or the French Olivier Rousteing (current CEO of Balmain), coach Haider Ackermann is turning to lend to the exercise of style.
Who is Haider Ackermann, the last designer invited by Jean Paul Gaultier?
Known for his unexpected color combinations on stately drapes mixed with sharp tailoring, Haider Ackermann officiated in charge of his home from 2001 to 2020, before sleeping it off and dedicating himself only to special projects. It is he who especially signs most of the most publicized looks of the actor Timothée Chalamet in recent years. He has just signed a stunning collaboration with Italian sports equipment manufacturer Fila, whose release date has not yet been announced, after having served as creative consultant in 2021 for Maison Ullens, a Belgian luxury brand.
Favorite by the critics, but less known to the general public, Haider Ackermann had been appointed to the artistic direction of Berluti (large men’s suit, owned by the LVMH luxury group) from 2016 to 2018, while Karl Lagerfeld had already cited him as the l He’s the only person he’s seen succeed him at Chanel, and who industry rumors see him regularly appoint as head of a major house. It is in this context that Haider Ackermann presented this new haute couture collection by Jean Paul Gaultier.
Jean Paul Gaultier Spring-Summer 2023 haute couture by Haider Ackermann
Haider Ackermann then presented his Jean Paul Gaultier haute couture spring-summer 2023 collection on January 25, 2023 in Paris, at the maison’s headquarters. In a refined setting, on an ice-blue carpet, the models walked slowly, exaggerating the poses of the models of the last century, the golden age of couture. What to allow to take the time to admire the precision of the packaging in the details.
The first four looks resembled abstractions around the tuxedo with pleats bordering on origami, white French cuffs fused to the jacket, when the idea of a shirt did not become a real bustier (with obviously Gaultier conical breasts, like the looks 5 and 6 for that matter) or impressive blue rooster feathers. The following passes showcased the colouristic talent of Haider Ackermann who contrasted biting hues on the front and back, making each lining a couture opportunity (look 20 recalls a light blue jacket over matching culottes, one leg of which is covered while the other is uncovered by a slit that reveals a contrasting bright red lining).
Mechanical homage and high fashion curls
So we found the silhouettes of Praying mantises on acid usual by Haider Ackermann, as well as its drapes inspired by the Tuareg whom he met in his childhood on the slopes of his parents who were geographers in Africa. The details de plissé also recalled his love for the work of Germaine Émilie Krebs (1903-1993), known as Alix Grès, whose house Mrs Sandstone has marked the history of fashion so much. It is to her that we owe what is called the Grès fold (formed during the construction of the dress, then sewn) which she used to create eternity dresses of ancient inspiration, and which Haider Ackermann seems to have reinterpreted today for Jean Paul Gaultier (particularly evident on looks 8, 12, 13, 23, but also on the waistband of trousers 5 and 6).
More than the enfant terrible of sailor top fashion, the guest designer paid homage to the prowess of haute couture itself and all its artistic mechanics. So especially looks 14 (immaculate white suit pants under a black sweater all covered in needles and an equally prickly coat) and 26 (lilac suit set also entirely needled) which double as a wink. of seamstresses that Jean Paul Gaultier has often reinterpreted. Other spiky looks may have recalled the curls of haute couture: in the erect feathers around the neckline of the dress from look 15, in the beige feather bustier from the sky suit from 18, in a black feather skirt and long-sleeved top all in jet scales from 35, and a suit of white scales up to the hood of the final bride.
In addition to step 17 composed of black micro shorts and a top bearing the verse “Freedom, I write your name” (taken from the poem by Paul Eluard) under a coat embroidered with the same black words on a gray background the jade-colored shirt lining, could guess a reference to Iranian women’s struggle through the soundtrack. It was mainly Shervin Hajipour’s revolutionary anthem “Barayé” (freedom). Anyone approaching haute couture and women’s rights loves it.
Front page photo credit: Jean Paul Gaultier.
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Source: Madmoizelle
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
