The Tamesis
Editor’s note: As part of Vogue Runway’s ongoing effort to chronicle the history of fashion shows, we’ll be wrapping up 2025 by adding new digital shows to the site. The fall 1998 haute couture collection was launched on July 17, 1998 in Paris.
Contemporary coverage of Jean Paul Gaultier’s fall 1998 haute couture collection provides two backstories. Reuters writes that the models were styled in the vein of “femme fatale” — think Esther Canadas in a sweater and plaid skirt and Anneliese Seubert in deep purple velvet, playing today’s Brigitte Bardot and Maria Callas, respectively. Then there’s Point d’If. new york times noted that when Gaultier showed up to take his bow, he “told Saint Laurent president Pierre Bergé, who was sitting in the front row, that he was paying homage to Saint Laurent.” This may have been a specific reference to the ending. The show ended on a romantic note, with Tanel Bedrossiantz and Teresa Lourenco appearing under tulle in matching Aran fisherman sweaters. She is characterized by a cross and a heart, while he is characterized by Jay Tai Aimee. They seemed to pay homage to Yves Saint Laurent’s 1965 cocoon-shaped bride inspired by Russian matryoshka dolls.
This collection did have the high elegance associated with YSL (its successor Gaultier is often said), but it was Gaultier’s signature through and through. As with ready-to-wear, the designer’s approach is progressive. Bomber jackets, down jackets, tracksuits… wear it, make it elevated and add some sexiness. The beaded bra was exposed, and the back of the black gown was trimmed with gold to look like it was peeling back.
Double-waisted high trousers created slender lines, and feathery arms transformed the model into a hybrid bird of paradise. Speaking of feathers, they are used to create Icelandic-style sweaters, taking them from a cozy necessity to something extraordinary. elsewhere, Fashion Noting that a trench coat that paid homage to Greta Garbo required “19 tries to get it right” while toronto globe and mail Writing, “A patchwork jacket is made from a turn-of-the-century pearl-embroidered purse.” Gaultier has come a long way from upcycling tin cans and tea filters.
