Rhinestones and Mesh Tops, Welcome To Jean Paul Gaultier's Updated Archive
Brand: Jean Paul Gaultier
Season: Évidemment Summer Collection
Key Pieces: The mesh tattoo-print t-shirts are bound to steal the limelight in a Gaultier drop, especially since the Kardashian-Jenner-clan started wearing them, but don't be distracted from the wonderfully Y2K sparkly graphics and rhinestones.
Buy: Highsnobiety Shop
Editor's Notes: Jean Paul Gaultier might have handed over the keys to his eponymous label back in 2020, but his designs remain central to the label's output.
Need proof? Last week's Couture show saw guest designer Olivier Rousteing tap into the French designer's archive, even sending a life-size version of its most famous perfume bottle down the runway, its recent collaboration with stylist and creative Lotta Volkova honored his longstanding love of S&M, even revamping his "naked dress," and its latest ready-to-wear collection pays homage to the iconic Spring/Summer 1994 “Les Tatouages” show.
That mid-90s show is arguably his most iconic, from a time when his rebellious spirit gave him the nickname "Enfant Terrible." It was largely informed by the designer's love of body art, reproducing tattoos onto a selection of garments and including them in a collection inspired by everything from Indian mysticism to fetish wear.
It is, of course, also the show where the now-iconic tattoo t-shirt came from, a tight translucent top that makes the wearer's skin look as though it is inked-up.
Original shirts from the collection now fetch thousands on the second market, fueled partially by co-signs by the likes of Kim Kardashian, Kendall Jenner, and the upper echelons of Instagram influencers. It's started a full-blown mesh t-shirt revival, and the label at its forefront is back with new designs.
For summer 2022, Gaultier has returned the popular banknote print from the 1994 collection and reintroduced it in three different iterations. These have been used on long-sleeve mesh tops, which have already been worn by the likes of Burna Boy and Bad Gyal, as well as featuring swimwear that was recently worn by Kali Uchis.
But if that isn't enough Y2K for you, then the label has another trick up its sleeve: rhinestones. Everyone's favorite embellishment from the early 2000s is used to create the motif for the Évidemment collection along with sparkly screen prints, both of which come directly from its archive.
Arriving just in time for the peak summer holiday season, check out the latest from Jean Paul Gaultier over at the Highsnobiety Shop.
