MON dieu! Industry insiders share their most memorable Jean Paul Gaultier moments

Date June 10, 2011

Photography by Peter Stigter

“I always think of Gaultier in terms of the colours he used early on, relishing his lurid shades of green, yellow and brown. I’ve enjoyed his references to French culture—pulpy policiers or Yvette Horner, the accordéoniste–and always thought of his palette as a tribute to the tobacco-stained walls of Paris dives.” —David Livingstone, Writer

“It was about 10 years ago when PETA was terrorizing the runway during winter fashion season in Paris. The protesters would jump on the runway during the show, in front of the photographers, and shout and show a sign to bring their opinions to the world. For people inside fashion, that was very annoying. Jean Paul Gaultier had his own way of dealing with them: He had two nice, handsome guys on every corner of the runway sitting at the front row, waiting with a fur blanket. As soon as the PETA person jumped on the runway, the guy in the suit followed and covered the protester with the fur blanket. I think that was very funny and smart; that was probably the thing they hated the most. Ever since, they demonstrate across the street from the show location and don’t come in anymore.” —Peter Stigter, Photographer

Coco Rocha, Model — Photography by Peter Stigter

An unforgettable moment was when he asked me to Irish dance down his runway in 2007. Gaultier is always so daring and forward-thinking when it comes to his runway shows, and that’s why I love working with him. In addition to my jig, I’ve had a mud fight with another model on the runway, I’ve appeared as a mermaid on crutches, and I’ve even had laser beams shoot out of my couture gown.” —Coco Rocha, Model

“For one of my turns down the runway, I had to wear a long, very transparent dress with fringe under the arms—with no underwear! At the last minute, Mr. Gaultier decided to take some white lilies from a bouquet he had just received and attach them to my thigh with tape to cover my private parts. Everything happened so quickly that he didn’t see a white rose, with its long thorns, hidden among the lilies. First I laughed, and then I screamed—but not for long, because I had to get on the runway.” —Ève Salvail, Model

“I used to buy Jean Paul Gaultier in my previous life as a retail buyer. In the early ’80s, his shows in Paris were the hottest ticket and always filled to capacity. Regardless, I remember how he would always let in the street kids, artists and fashion students—hundreds of them would line the streets before the show. He didn’t shut anybody out. On a personal note: for my 30th birthday, I ‘borrowed’ a Gaultier jumpsuit—that I just had to have, but could not afford—from the store. Later, after I had returned it, pictures surfaced of me dancing in it. I was busted and reprimanded by my employer. I think Jean Paul would have been amused.” —Suzanne Timmons, Fashion Director, the Bay

Stacey McKenzie, Model — Stacey McKenzie in Gaultier Ad Campaign circa 1997

“At my first casting with Jean Paul, I walked up to him to present myself, along with my portfolio, and the first thing he said to me was, ‘Elle est belle.’ I didn’t understand him, so I asked him to speak in English. His response was, in a demure French accent, ‘I said, you are beautiful.’ I cried right there, because in all my struggles trying to get into modelling, all I ever heard was that I would never make it because I wasn’t a typical beauty. He gave me the extra boost I needed at that time to pursue modelling even more.” —Stacey McKenzie, Model

I first became aware of Jean Paul Gaultier around 1984, when he was given the title ‘enfant terrible of fashion.’ I was smitten with his giant cabbage-rose tapestry knits—a look that was knocked off by manufacturers for decades afterward—and his iconic sailor stripes, skirts for men and, later, his infamous cone bras. I remember attending a Gaultier show in a circus tent in NYC in 1984. It was the first time I’d ever seen something other than a straightforward runway show, and it was a spectacle I’ll never forget!” —Susie Sheffman, Fashion Director, FASHION Magazine

“I remember crawling under a tent in the mid-’80s to get into a Jean Paul Gaultier show. It was back in the day when the shows were actually in tents, and I had just bought these new boots that were ruined in the process. It was heartbreaking, but I needed to get in there. —Ruth Ann Lockhart, Divisional Vice-President, Womenswear, Holt Renfrew

Trying to enter a Gaultier show, even if you have a ticket, can be a saga in itself. In the fall of 1991, when I was covering the Paris collections for The Toronto Star, I arrived at the Cirque d’Hiver to find the entrance blocked by groupies. A colleague and I looked at each other, took a deep breath, and began inching our way through the crowd, waving our tickets in the air and trying to get the attention of the bouncers at the door. The crowd was so thick we prayed that we wouldn’t get separated, or crushed, as we made our way up the front steps. I was leading and had just reached the top step when a surge in the crowd threatened to carry my friend away. I let out a cry, heard by one of the brutes at the door. He reached out, grabbed her outstretched hand, and plucked her out of the nasty swarm. Of course, the collection was worth the effort, including a model completely covered in houndstooth except for three tiny holes for her eyes and mouth. The ensemble came with matching houndstooth accessories—sunglasses, an umbrella, a Kelly purse and a cigarette. This was Gaultier’s take on the season’s bodysuit trend, and an example of the wit that always keeps us coming back for more.” —Bernadette Morra, Editor-in-Chief, FASHION Magazine