Editor’s note: To mark the death of Jacqueline de Ribes, we are publishing the Jean Paul Gaultier show she inspired, 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 showing at couture, which had recently been infiltrated by the London upstarts Alexander Lee McQueen and John Galliano. Though he’s always claimed to feel constrained by the confines of Parisian bourgeois good taste, Gaultier—who likes to play with Gallic stereotypes—has, nevertheless, been a kind of protector of French style. That much was evident in his spring couture show, titled Divine Jacqueline. “Countess de Ribes is for me the incarnation of Parisian chic. She is an icon; the photos of her by Avedon made me love fashion. It was only natural that I dedicate a couture collection to her,” the designer said at the time.
The most obvious de Ribes-isms were the models’ upswept hair and makeup, but there was an air of restraint that was in keeping with de Ribes’ austere, classic style. Contemporary reviewers noted Gaultier’s references to other iconic French designers, including Madame Grès, and Yves Saint Laurent; see the smokings and the beaded dresses. (The metal armature could also reference Pierre Cardin who hired a young Gaultier on his 18th birthday.) The references to YSL were much remarked upon. As Saint Laurent had stepped away from ready-to-wear in October 1998 (Alber Elbaz got the job to carry on the line), industry rumors suggested that Gaultier would at one point succeed Yves. That never happened, but later that year the epitome of French luxury in leather goods, Hermès, took a stake in Gaultier’s business. (In 2002 he became creative director at Hermès.)
One commonality between Saint Laurent and Gaultier was their penchant for denim. The former said he wished he had invented jeans, and the latter included upcycled jeans in his very first couture collection. Julia Schönberg’s denim dress, which dégradéd into marabou, was a masterpiece with wit. Critics saw Spanish influence in the closing looks with fans, but these were also a coquette’s “weapon” and they are to be found in many a French painting, including those by Manet, Cassat, and Tissot