French fashion couturier Jean Paul Gaultier has built his empire with a number of successful clothing collections and his signature perfumes. He has dressed some of the biggest names in music such as Lady Gaga, Madonna, Tina Turner, Nirvana and Beyoncé. Gaultier’s fashions have also graced the red carpet at the Oscars, worn by talented actors such at Marion Cottilard, Mickey Rourke and Nicole Kidman.

For the very first time, the public has the opportunity to see some of his creations up close at the international exhibition which begins in Montreal. The exhibition will then travel to Dallas, San Francisco, Madrid, Spain and Rotterdam in the Netherlands. This exhibition includes 130 ensembles with accessories mainly from his couture collection but also from his prêt a porter collection, celebrating Gaultier’s daring cutting edge styles through 6 different thematic influences.

The exhibition spans Gaultier's 35 year career, from his first job as Pierre Cardin's assistant  in 1970, to being hired as creative director by Hermes in 2003 after the launch of his 1997 Haute Couture line, just to name a few benchmarks.

Not to mention a showcase of his perfume line which began with a floral scented fragrance called “Classique” for women, followed by “Le Male” shortly afterwards. The latest addition to the Gaultier family of fragrances is “Ma Dame.”

Madonna fans will be delighted to view the actual corsets she wore during her Blonde Ambition Tour, along with sketches and a few behind the scenes pictures.

No doubt, Jean Paul Gaultier continues to influence the fashion world through his twists, transformations and reinterpretations, all for the purpose of erasing boundaries between cultures and the sexes. His open minded vision of society has created what you might call “fusion couture,” a fashion which emphasizes that everything is possible and nothing is final. From a designer who claims the influences of his dearest grandmother, mother, Coco Channel and Popeye, one can expect much more from Gaultier in the future.

Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
1379 Sherbrooke Street West.
(514) 285-2000
www.mbam.qc.ca
Exhibition runs until October 2nd, 2011
*Closed on Mondays.