ARCHIVE - 1990s Runway Worn Jean Paul Gaultier Cotton Dress

It is wonderful to be able to attribute this piece to a runway show and this dress is from the Jean Paul Gaultier ready to wear spring summer 1991 collection. It is made from a mustard yellow cotton stretch jersey with the ruched element of the skirt enhanced by numerous parachute ties to create a bubble skirt. We love the cut out and panelled bodice and this fun piece really epitomises Jean Paul’s genius during this time. The dress is marked a French size 40 although this is not generous in modern day sizing - we would estimate this is better suited to around a UK 10 / US 6. All the garment labels remain and it was made by the renowned Italian manufacturer Fuzzi, who also made Moschino’s early creations. This collection was called "Adam and Eve" and the runway show was a sight to behold. It featured both the men's and the women's collection simultaneously in the Garden of Eden. He reimagined them as modern-day Rastafarians and the show was revolutionary in terms of the sheer diversity of the models on the runway. It is almost sad to remark that there was perhaps more diversity in this memorable runway show than there has been for many years since.

This particular series of dresses can be enjoyed on the Fashion Channel - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8GjMP5JNGk - 15/18 minutes in. This exact dress and several other very similar styles walk down the runway in an array of colours. To some degree the trailing cords can be adjusted to suit the desired look of the wearer and we note several of the runway presentations were worn over the top of a tutu.

We are delighted to be able to bring such a well-documented dress to Circa Vintage. This garment has gentle, age appropriate wear but overall we would say this is in very good to excellent vintage condition. The cotton jersey has faint underarm discoloration but this blends in well with the mustard yellow and is very difficult to see when worn. There is a very small faint mark on the inside sleeve and a tiny black mark in the folds of the skirt. None of these small faults contribute in anyway to the detriment of the dress but are mentioned for accuracy. In summary, a super fun and well documented dress, rare to market and from an early Jean Paul Gaultier collection. It deserves to be worn by a serious collector and wearer of avant garde fashion.

MEASUREMENTS: LAID FLAT (HAS STRETCH)
BUST - 30 in. (73.7 cm)
WAIST - 28 in. (71.1 cm)
HIP - 36 in. (91.4 cm)
LENGTH - 45 in. (114.3 cm)
SHOULDERS - 16 in. (40.6 cm)