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Jean Paul Gaultier continues love affair with India at Paris Haute Couture Week
From sari drapes to bejewelled looks — designer Jean Paul Gaultier continued to showcase his love for India at the recently concluded couture week in Paris.
It’s not the first time that iconic French fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier has been inspired by India, and we are sure, not the last. At his autumn/winter’ 17 show held during the recently-concluded Paris Haute Couture Week, sari-inspired drapes and contemporary nose rings took centerstage. Here are some of the looks:
Gaultier, in 2012, put turbaned male models on the ramp, and the next year, showcased a collection that took cues from Rajasthan, and Indian ‘gypsy brides’.
Many would also remember designer Karl Lagerfeld’s Chanel Paris-Bombay Métiers d’Art 2011/12 show, where models were dressed in saris and kurta-inspired dresses with painstaking, heavy-duty detailing. Labels like Marchesa and Louis Vuitton have also featured brocade, mirrorwork and drapes that have India written all over.
In an age where cultural appropriation has become a buzzword in global fashion, and as India re-directs its focus on homegrown designs, it is interesting to see that the West continues to look at India — albeit, mostly, the traditional side of it.
