Jean Paul Gaultier has always been a believer in pushing the boundaries of style. But with his latest venture the king of couture has gone one step further, by making himself a champion of gender equality.
The iconic Frenchman, who has been known to send a hunk or two down the catwalk in a sarong, is sponsoring a new exhibition entitled Bravehearts: Men In Skirts at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. And he insists that donning a pareo is every man's human right.
"Historically, men had panache when it came to getting dressed," he argues. "They had the lace, they had the makeup. They dressed exuberantly, it wasn't considered either masculine or feminine. Look at Louis XIV or the Greeks in togas. I'm not trying to put all men in skirts. I just want to give them the freedom to wear a skirt if they want to. Women fought for years to wear trousers."
The exhibition includes modern kaftans by Roberto Cavalli, punk numbers by Vivienne Westwood and an ecclesiastical creation by John Galliano. There are also historical displays, such as "belted plaids" from Scotland and tribal skirts from Polynesia.
The show has even won the support of an internet campaign group called "Men Against Trouser Tyranny". For the opening night on Monday, Jean Paul wore a pleated, ankle-length black skirt and tuxedo jacket. "It's really very conservative," he said.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
