Nicolas Di Felice Takes Gaultier Into the Future
Review of Jean Paul Gaultier Fall 2024 Couture Fashion Show
By Mark Wittmer
THE COLLECTION
THE VIBE
THE THEME
The seventh guest designer enlisted to try his hand at Jean Paul Gaultier couture, Nicolas Di Felice’s was probably the least overtly Gaultier. While previous guest designers have all done excellent work while mining the archives and piling on the Easter egg references to JPG moments both iconic and obscure, the Courrèges creative director drew on just a few key elements, deftly incorporating them into his own design perspective of subtly futuristic minimalism. There were no sailor stripes, no cone bras, no tattoo tops – but there was sensuality, innovation, and drama.
The pared-back focus meant that the direct references to Gaultier’s oeuvre became all the more powerful, with the most notable is the incorporation of JPG’s signature corset structures. Another great archival pull is the minimal rework of the ear-piercing-to-nose-piercing chain from Spring 1994 ready-to-wear, and which also recalls the nose attachment on the stillsuits in Dune – a strong link with Di Felice’s retrofuturism. The swirls and wraps of sheer fabric that expose garment structure and body beneath echo Gaultier’s Spring 1997 couture collection. The frequent use of hook-and-eye closures is another subtle archival nod that becomes a defining feature of this collection’s structural character and sensuality.
Meanwhile, Di Felice didn’t hold back from making his own innovations and playing with the typical runway show progression. The opening looks were all black, with an extremely cool combination of eyewear and mask that had sunglasses covered in fabric that draped over the face and became part of the full look’s structure. Others took shape as dresses with a sculptural bodice like a futuristic obelisk. After black, the collection stuck to neutral tones and white, with the final look playing on the couture tradition of a bridal look to end the collection and wrapping its corset-clad figure in a veiling cocoon of nude sheers.
THE BUZZWORDS
Minimal. Sculptural. Futuristic. Sensual.
THE SHOWSTOPPER
Look #
1-2 sentences explaining why this look encapsulates the essence of the collection or stands out
THE DIRECTION
THE WRAP UP
Di Felice did play it a bit safe, drawing on his own work at Courrèges (as well as from his contemporaries like Mugler and Rick Owens) while focusing on a few key elements from the Gaultier archive to deliver a focused, detail-driven collection. Nonetheless, while it would have been welcome to see him experiment with the source material a bit more, it was another very strong entry in the guest couturier project, and a refreshing change of pace.
The most beautiful aspect of Jean Paul Gaultier’s guest designer project is seeing how every designer who grew up idolizing Gaultier (that is, most designers) has their own perspective on what his iconic body of work can mean. This latest chapter is one more beautiful example.
