Editor’s note: To mark the death of Jacqueline de Rebus, we’re publishing the Jean Paul Gaultier show she inspired, The Divine Jacqueline. This spring 1999 couture collection was presented in Paris on January 17, 1999.
In 1999, Jean Paul Gaultier was one of the only French designers to show in couture, which had recently been usurped by London upstarts Alexander McQueen and John Galliano. Although he has always claimed to feel constrained by the trappings of Parisian bourgeois good taste, Gaultier – who likes to play with Gallic stereotypes – has nevertheless been a kind of defender of the French style. This was evident in her spring couture show, headlined by the divine Jacqueline. The designer said at the time, “The Countess de Rebus is the epitome of Parisian chic for me. She is an icon. Her photographs by Avedon made me fall in love with fashion. It was only natural that I dedicated a couture collection to her.”
The most obvious was the de Ribis-ISM model’s over-the-top hair and makeup, but there was an air of restraint in maintaining her attractive, classic style. Contemporary reviewers noted Gaultier’s references to other famous French designers, including Madame Girs and Yves Saint Laurent. See smoking and beaded dresses. . Since Saint Laurent moved away from ready-to-wear in October 1998 (Albert Elbaz was given the job of carrying the line), industry rumors suggested that Gaultier would succeed him at some point. It never happened, but later that year, Hermès, the French luxury icon in leather goods, took over Gaultier’s business. (In 2002, he became creative director at Hermès.)
One commonality between Saint Laurent and Gaultier was their art for denim. The former said he wished he had invented jeans, and the latter included high-end jeans in his first couture collection. Julia Schoenberg’s denim dress, degraded to marabou, was a masterpiece with wit. Critics saw a Spanish influence in the final forms with fans, but they were also a coquette’s “weapon” and are to be found in many French paintings, including those by Manet, Cast, and Tussot.
