The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier at the Dallas Museum of Art

Jean Paul Gaultier with art curators

Gaultier's talking mannequin

Dallas fashionistas, are you ready to be inspired?  The anticipation is finally over!  Jean Paul Gaultier’s exhibition is at the Dallas Museum of Art from now until February 12, 2012.  The exhibition features couture fashions from his collections over the past 35 years, as well as sketches, video clips, and photos featuring him and his work.

Organized by the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, “The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk” is an exhibition that celebrates Monsieur Gaultier’s 35-year career as a fashion designer.  Before making its U.S. debut in Dallas, the exhibition was in Montreal, Canada.  Only one other U.S. city will experience JPG’s beautiful work, San Francisco in March 2012.  So this is truly an honor for the Dallas fashion community.

The exhibition has 5 rooms that show Gaultier’s different styles: Skin Deep, Boudoir, Punk Cancan, Urban Jungle, and Metropolis.  Besides the intricately detailed couture, one of the coolest parts of the exhibition is the animation on the mannequins’ faces, created by Lucie Jolicoeur.   The mannequins seem to almost look you in the eye.  They also sing, speak, and smile at you.  It was even a little unnerving but so cool at the same time. 

I love how Jean Paul includes the Eiffel Tower in several of his pieces.  It’s so interesting to see the Parisian iconic image on the back of a pair of hose or on a dress.  What amazes me is that he makes clothes out of the most unconventional materials.   An entire dress was made of ribbon, or strips of film negatives.  When you look closely, the details become more than just stunning fashion, it’s art.  Interestingly, Gaultier does not consider his method as art; he feels his job is “to make clothes that have to be worn, to please, to sell.”  He’s a businessman as well as an artist, even if he doesn’t think so.

Corsets worn by Madonna

I highly recommend visiting the Dallas Museum of Art for JPG’s exhibition.  I have seen it twice already!  For more information on the exhibit and tickets, visit the DMA’s website.  I hope you enjoy the pictures, I'm part of the media so I got to take pictures.

Jean Paul at the Jardin du Luxemborg in Paris at age 5.  I went there in Paris!

This dress was made of film negatives!

The white stripes are hand-sewn button strips!

When you look closely, this leopard is actually beaded