To the extreme

More than 100 performers. Five hundred costumes. Feathers. Chains. Kilts. Leather harnesses. Bare-chested boys (and girls).

It could only be the work of Jean-Paul Gaultier, he of the most outrageous fashions ever to hit the haute couture catwalks of Gay Paree...

Described by none other than style bible i-D Magazine as “Arty to the extreme”, M Gaultier has (finally, one might say) added his particular brand of over-the-top campery to a new revue show - choreographed by our own Craig Revel Horwood and produced by the FriedrichstadtPalast's veteran showgirl-revue-meister Roland Welke - THE ONE Grand Show, which looks likely to take Berlin by storm as it is launched this week!

"Divine decadence, darling!" Indeed.

And here's a preview of this spectacular:

THE ONE Grand Show

Read more and book tickets at the FriedrichstadtPalast Berlin website

Karma. Chameleons.

Heavens be praised! The eternally inspirational Thombeau (of legendary - and sadly missed - "Fabulon" and "Chateau Thombeau" blog fame, and currently curator of the wonderful Redundant Variety Hour) has launched a new blog, Full Fathom Five (from whence these magnificent photos of Boy George, dressed by Jean-Paul Gaultier, came)!

And a thing of wonder, it is, too.

Visit the "cabinet of curiosities" that is Full Fathom Five and see for yourself...

Boy George and the newly-reformed Culture Club are on tour as we speak - read the review of their appearance at Heaven earlier this week.

Couture woman

“I always say that beauty is difference and Conchita has shown us all that she is unstoppable. And she looks great in couture; she is a real couture woman.” - Jean-Paul Gaultier

Conchita Wurst makes her catwalk début

"My Leetle Chums!"

With his avant-garde fashion creations and cutting-edge designs, [Jean-Paul] Gaultier has shaped the look of fashion over the last 40 years. His reputation for witty and daring designs and a ceaseless interest in society, identity and a beauty borne of difference has earned him a place in fashion history.

Gaultier is fascinated by world cultures and countercultures, conceiving a new kind of fashion in both the way it is made and worn. Through twists, transformations, transgressions and reinterpretations, he not only erases the boundaries between cultures but also the sexes, redefining the idea of androgyny or subverting fashion codes.

This theatrically-staged exhibition brings together more than 165 cutting-edge couture and ready-to-wear garments including iconic costumes for film and performance from the early 1970s to the present day. The infamous conical bra and corsets Madonna wore during her 1990 Blonde Ambition World Tour are showcased alongside stage costumes designed for Kylie Minogue as well as pieces created for the films of Pedro Almodóvar, among others.

Gaultier’s rich collaborations with renowned artists and photographers such as Miles Aldridge, David LaChapelle, Pierre et Gilles, Peter Lindbergh, Herb Ritts, Stéphane Sednaoui, Cindy Sherman and Andy Warhol are also shown together with footage of catwalk presentations, concerts, music videos, films and dance performances.

The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk is in London from 9th April 2014 to 25th August 2014 at the gallery in the Barbican Centre.

Fashion pack

At Paris Fashion Week, Jean-Paul Gaultier paid hommage to the stars and fashions of the 70s and 80s. He had lots of lookie-likies of the likes of Bowie, Madonna, Boy George, Annie Lennox and the rest...





...and one genuine star, too - our Patron Saint, Miss Amanda Lear!



Magnifique.

Paris Fashion Week continues to 3rd October 2012