Jean Paul Gaultier and La Perla were seen everywhere together this summer, but only briefly and only in Paris or Milan, like a pair of lovers sneaking away to the continent for a delicious summer fling.
Both couture brands left their hometown fashion week crowds gasping, but it was their collaboration that really set hearts fluttering. Here’s a video of La Perla’s launch party for JPG’s third Créateur lingerie collection at its Paris boutique in July, coming just two days after Gaultier’s own runway show for Paris Fashion Week.
Now, after months of teasing, the fruits of this exceptional creative partnership are available to be seen, fondled and purchased through La Perla’s worldwide retail network — but don’t dream too long, as the collection always sells out.
For SS2013, the new Créateur collection has been expanded to include 30 different styles that put some of Gaultier’s most familiar design motifs to work in clever ways as lingerie. There are also additions to the JPG-La Perla swimwear collection that debuted a year ago.
There are three style ranges in this Créateur but, perhaps surprisingly, no bullet bras and none of the stylized corset garments that are often associated with Gaultier and which he used to great effect in last year’s Leather and Lace series for La Perla.
Instead, we have the maestro playing with some of his other signatures, notably:
- The Breton sailor-stripe theme, which gets another workout in the Marin series, which uses embroidered lace leaves in horizontal strips on a sheer tulle base to create the look. Watch for a few small anchor motifs thrown in to complete the naughty, nautical theme.
- The use of densely ruched, hand-sewn ribbons of silk (above) to create to illusion of architectural form — referencing his work with Madonna, for example — in the technically awe-inspiring Rubans range. In champagne and black colorways, these pieces offer a softer variation on looks from JPG’s first two collabos with La Perla, evoking those historic bullet bras and cage corsets almost subtly.
- Tattoo-like prints (what sailor doesn’t love tattoos!?) with a vaguely oriental look in Tatouage Imprimé, a series of body-con dresses, undies and other figure-hugging styles quite unlike anything JPG has offered through his La Perla collections in the past.
And finally, there’s a bit of a nod to Gaultier’s corset fetishism in the swimwear line, a fairly straightforward set of bustier-like tops on ribboned cages, and offered in three primary colors. Try not to think of the tan lines these pieces will leave behind.
It’s been a massive year for Gaultier and La Perla, both individually and collectively, and we’ll talk more about that in our year-end wrap-up.
For now, you can begin the hunt for the SS2013 Créateur pieces in La Perla boutiques and other luxury retail partners. Here’s the lookbook:
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