“Amy Winehouse was a true style icon,” Gaultier told reporters backstage after his S/S 2012 show payed homage to the late singer, who died 6 months before at just 27 years old. “What she stands for above all, is uniqueness. Both in music and the way she dressed, she mixed a great many influences.”
Winehouse’s soulful croons sounded only at the end of the show, with famous songs such as “Rehab” and “Back to Black” had all watching remiscing over her uncanny vocals and impassioned lyrics. Up until that point an acapella barbershop courtet served as the runway music for the show, with jazzy and rhythmic instrumentals. Just as both Winehouse’s style and music was, Gaultier’s collection was inspired by the 1950′s and 1960′s. Many signatures of the iconic singer were present among the looks, such as corseted gowns, exposed bustiers & brassieres and baseball jackets. In addition to the couture, the beauty looks absolutely screamed “Amy!” from the wide winged-swooped eyeliner to the heavily-heavily teased beehive hairstyles, it was clear Gaultier wanted to emulate Winehouse from head-to-toe.
Jean Paul Gaultier’s musical muse is familiar territory to the French designer who dressed Madonna for her legendary ‘Blonde Ambition’ tour back in 1990. It was during that tour that Madonna’s signature pointy-cone shaped brassiere and the “lingerie as outerwear” trend was born. Gaultier also recently collaborated with Lady Gaga in the
‘GaGa by Gaultier’ documentary in which the two discuss how fashion can “transcend itself as mere clothing to become a powerful form of visual art and expression.”