What Writing a Book About Jean Paul Gaultier Taught Me About the Iconic Designer
Once upon a time—actually about two years ago—I was asked to work on the Catwalk book about Jean Paul Gaultier. Upon looking at an Excel sheet that listed all of Gaultier’s womenswear collections (ready-to-wear and couture) between 1976 and 2020, my initial excitement about the project turned into terror. Each book in the series provides a comprehensive look at a designer’s careelr with reviews and often unseen pictures from every collection. Gradually, though, I turned back to flesh from stone, lured by the joy of research. Gaultier is many things—but boring isn’t one of them.Now that the tome—it’s a heavy volume—is out, and I’ve been asked by my editor to talk a bit about my Gaultier adventure. I’ll start with a few takeaways that focus on the big picture followed by some very subjective...










