Nicolas di Felice for Jean Paul Gaultier Haute Couture

On Wednesday night at the Jean Paul Gaultier headquarters in the Marais, Nicolas di Felice debuted his first haute couture collection for the house. Ever since Jean Paul Gaultier’s retirement in 2020, the house has welcomed various high calibre designers to present their interpretation of the designer’s legendary ethos. Names such as Sacai’s Chitose Abe, Haider Ackermann and Olivier Rousteing have all contributed to the brand’s repertoire of provocative and vivacious designs, recontextualizing JPG’s concepts through their own unique lens.

Rising to fame in the 80s JPG is best known for his extravagant take on corsetry, lingerie and maximalism. With Felice’s latest appointment, he appears to steer the house into a new direction. Previously appointed as artistic director at Courrèges, Felice’s portfolio indicates an elegant, sophisticated aesthetic, an aesthetic that was evident throughout the duration of last week’s show. Reawakening the label from its heritage status, with this collection, Felice injects an urgent sense of modernity to the brand. Sleek designs for vixens and clubgoers alike.

Haute Couture has historically been known for its drama and opulence, with exaggerated silhouettes and excessive detailing; however, this rendition was a deviation from the traditional formula, for Felice presented a collection that exhibited minimalism and that championed form. Expertly treating fabrics such as gabardine, gazar and taffeta, simple shapes were constructed to showcase a bespoke wardrobe of mainly evening ensembles. The hook and eye, perhaps the pinnacle element of the collection was used in a variety of ways to contour the body producing shapes that ranged from the alluring to the extreme. Simply put, this was a stripped-down collection, void of the usual excess and haughtiness of Parisian couture.

Like matadors entering the bullring, models slinked down a narrow pathway leading to a rectangular hall. With faces partly consumed by oversized collars, a sensuality was quickly established. Choosing to explore a subtle eroticism, Felice’s looks expressed an immaculate symmetry and precision of line with sleek billowing trains and hourglass figures. Streamlined gowns, dresses and sheaths (many in black) appeared one after another with ruching and drapery being used to convey a variety of geometric shapes. The corset, A JPG brand staple made famous by Madonna in the 80s did not appear until look 13 when a heavily boned variety featuring hook and eye embellishment made its way through the ambience. Felice spoke of the collection saying that each look was referenced from the past, as he spent ample time rummaging through the JPG archives influencing his inspiration for the show, discovering that JPG presented work in monochrome in addition to his bolder preferences.

Out of the 33 looks, none featured prints, or bright colours, and instead opted for a neutral colour palette of cream, sand and ecru, perhaps the only exception being a long-sleeved gown with slits down the sides in cobalt blue. A tightly cinched strapless dress made from what appeared to be plastic added shock value to the austerity of the other ensembles. Seemingly, with each passing look, layers were subtracted from the overall equation displaying a sense of greater exhibitionism. By manipulating the fabrics at his disposal Felice produced body hugging silhouettes with sometimes only an oversized earring as the statement piece used to accentuate.

Cinematic in its presentation, this first attempt for Felice proved to be a testament to the fact that haute couture does not always have to be over the top, and in the end, it would appear that Felice has succeeded in breathing new life into the house Jean Paul Gaultier.

Words by Alexander Mays