exhibitions

2014-04-26 14.57.47

JPG, ooh la la!

Back in April Loz took me out for my, ahem, 22nd birthday. We lunched at The Ivy (posh!) and then decided to hit an exhibition. We ended up at the marvellous Barbican taking in ‘The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From Catwalk to Sidewalk’. If you haven’t seen it then you must immediately, especially as it’s ending on 25 August.

Many of you of a certain age will have had their first exposure to JPG from watching Euro Trash late on a Friday night on Channel 4. Even though I had an inkling of his impression on the fashion world, I was truly blown away by the exhibition. No, you’re not going to buy a frock from him and wear it to a fancy meeting or on a Friday night out, but his real influence has been from the incredible versatility of his designs from the pure avant garde couture aesthetic to fabulous stage costuming.

2014-04-26 15.12.21

JPG can’t compete in modern ready to wear but I’m fairly sure he doesn’t want to. The upshot of this is that if you are a Celine bod through and through then you may not love JPG’s style. But for a glimpse through the couture looking glass, this exhibition can’t be beaten.

A quick word on the staging too: it’s brilliant. Faces are projected onto the heads of the mannequins and while this may be slightly creepy, it totally brings the clothes to life. The set-up is effective as you get to stroll through different stages of his work, including a look through his seemingly endless line of muses.

2014-04-26 14.49.05

It’s best to take a little bit of patience with you as you will encounter people hogging the best bits, or just moving DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF YOU to see something you’re already looking at. Deep breaths are definitely required. But it is also a lovely way to while away a couple of hours, even if you can’t tell your JPG from your SJP.

The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From Catwalk to Sidewalk, showing at the Barbican until 25 August 2014. Full info and tickets available at the Barbican website.

Category: Style