Jean Paul Gaultier Haute Couture By Ludovic De Saint Sernin: Le Naufrage
Luxferity, 30.01.2025
“...And as they lay, scattered across the barren sands, they truly believed that their arrival here was a matter of fate — that their ship had left harbour
under the light of a cursed star. But if I am to document this as a matter of destiny,
it is a destiny that could touch any person with eyes that see, ears that hear,
and a pulse that beats — that delicious curse of temptation that Eve unlocked when she bit into the apple’s flesh.
Flashbacks crackle like crashes of heavenly thunder. First, arrows,
shot by a randy Cupid; blood pulsed from the heart to the loins. Memories of who they were and where they were going melted away, supplanted by burning lust.
An ingenue bride-to-be, on her way to her betrothed, lifted her veil to touch lips
with the ship’s captain, their hands off the helm; two bare-breasted pirates
made off with a tartan-clad Celtic princess, while John Swann, their gay matey,
set his sights on the strapping sailor manning the rig. Sirens shrieked in ecstasy to the songstress’ bawdy ballad; krakens and crocodiles licked, sucked and snapped at the boat’s brittle bow.
As the chorus of moans rose and fell alongside the mounting waves, a bolt of lightning cracked down the galleon’s mast, breaking the vessel apart
and flinging a mass of spent bodies to the sea’s boiling foam. Even then — bobbing on
the open water with mouths full of salt, noses full of smoke — they still
believed they were the unfortunate victims of a fate that couldn’t have been avoided; that there was nothing they could have done…
Wasn’t there? ”
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The above text is an imagined account of an eclectic band of star-crossed voyagers, lost to red-blooded passion on rough open seas. They are the protagonists of Ludovic de Saint Sernin’s Haute Couture collection for Jean Paul Gaultier.
For Ludovic, receiving an invitation to author this body of work was more than an honour — it was a dream come true. From the start, his instinct was to create characters that brought the heroes of both brands' universes to life, paying homage to Jean Paul Gaultier’s status as one of fashion’s true masters of craft and one of its greatest auteurs. A proud exhibition of the peerless savoir-faire to which 325 Rue Saint Martin is a longstanding home, this collection is also a toast to the countless worlds and characters that have been brought to life here – to the frenzy of playfulness, whimsy, opulence, sex, chaos and camp that fills these halls.
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Together, this cast of characters amounts to the essence of Jean Paul Gaultier distilled, trickled through the shamelessly raw and exquisitely refined filter of Ludovic de Saint Sernin.
1. Mélusine
An off-shoulder, laced-neckline bodice in verdigris satin duchesse with an angular hip construction, hand-painted rusted copper eyelets and silver nappa leather lacing. Below, a silk organza mermaid skirt hand-embroidered with hand-painted, tarnished metal-beaded netting. Mélusine wears nude calfskin stiletto-heeled sandals.
2. Anne Bonny
An opera cape in oak double-faced cashmere, draped over a pearl silk shantung corset with an angular hip construction, glinting silver eyelets and cream nappa leather lacing. Draped from the bust, a criss-cross halter in crinkled sea-green silk mousseline. Anne Bonny wears oak calfskin stiletto-heeled sandal boots with front cutout detailing.
3. John Swann
A panelled, corsetted jacket with a plunging front and tail in oak tailoring wool, fastened with glinting silver eyelets and tonal nappa leather lacing. Below, capri pants in matching material. John Swann wears oak pleated lambskin wedge boots.
4. The Helm
A strapless minidress in netted oak macramé with tonal silk mousseline-wrapped boning, and ship helm detailing at the bust. Below, a draped scrim of sea foam silk tulle. Worn with oak calfskin stiletto-heeled sandal boots with front cutout detailing.
5. Venus
A lavishly draped gown in laddered, accordion-pleated brunette jersey voile with tresses draped across the décolleté. Venus wears oak calfskin stiletto-heeled sandals.
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6. Ariel
A bundle-draped dress in accordion-pleated ivory silk tulle, with a banded hem in écru voile de soie sauvage, bound by 12 metres of rigging rope spun with weathered metal sequins. Ariel wears off-white calfskin stiletto-heeled sandals.
7. Mary Read
An accordion-pleated ivory silk tulle dress with a tiered, ruffled skirt, worn beneath an oak silk shantung taffeta corset, and fastened with glinting silver eyelets and tonal nappa leather lacing. Mary Read wears oak calfskin stiletto-heeled sandal boots with front cutout detailing.
8. She Was A Fairy
A corsetted minidress in sky blue plissé Grès jersey voile with flounced hem and panier draped with plissé Grès silk tulle. Worn with oak calfskin stiletto-heeled sandal boots with front cutout detailing.
9. Cupid
Pheasant feather wings mounted onto an oak calfskin harness, worn with silk satin-lined eyelet briefs in tonal hide. Worn above, a modesty drape of sky blue silk mousseline changeante. Cupid wears oak calfskin sandals.
10. The Statuette
A slender-strapped column gown in swirls of oak plissé Grès jersey voile, with draped bust detailing upheld by a braided halter. The Statuette wears black calfskin stiletto-heeled sandals.
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11. L’Empreinte
A single-shouldered slip dress in nude stretch tulle, hand-embroidered with effet mouillé ‘volcanic sand’ crystal beading. Draped around the arms, a mooring rope woven from silk thread and 50,000 weathered brass ‘pearls’. Worn with black calfskin stiletto-heeled sandals.
12. The Net
A trained fishnet gown in hand-crocheted hadal black cotton yarn with trailing sleeves. Worn with black stretch nappa stiletto-heeled sandal boots with knotted strap detailing.
13. The Hydra
A corsetted notch-lapel tailcoat in moulded anthracite latex ‘crocodile skin’ with the beast’s tail intact, worn with capri pants and point-toed stiletto-heeled boots in matching material.
14. The Leviathan
A sleeveless fishtail gown in moulded anthracite latex ‘crocodile skin’, complemented by opera gloves and point-toed stiletto-heeled boots in matching material
15. Jeanne
A corsetted column gown in pebble grey lambskin, with plunging front-to-back cutout details and 75 metres of tonal nappa leather lacing. Jeanne is accessorised with corsetted sleeves and a choker cuff in the same hide and wears nude calfskin stiletto-heeled sandals.
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16. The Captain
A corsetted notch lapel jacket in black satin de laine with accentuated bust and angular hip construction, fastened with silver eyelets and black nappa leather lacing. Below, a mermaid skirt in black Swarovski-strewn silk mousseline, overlaid with tonal silk tulle. On top, a galleon hat sculpted in black feathers and silk mousseline. The Captain wears black calfskin stiletto-heeled sandals.
17. The Anchor
A halterneck gown in doubled black dentelle chantilly de Calais with a crin anchor motif across the bust and fanning godets with floral graphic placements at the hem. Worn with black calfskin stiletto-heeled sandals.
18. The Premonition
A halterneck drape of scarlet mousseline changeante with a cursive ‘Naufrage’ motif in brass-wired tubular crin running over the bust and tumbling down the flank, attached to a mermaid skirt in accordion-pleated tonal silk mousseline changeante. Worn with black calfskin stiletto-heeled sandals.
19. The Narrator
A corsetted double-breasted jacket in laminated black brocade with écru cotton guipure collar and cuff trims, and antique gold boutons boules, worn with capri pants in matching material. The Narrator accessorises with a brass and tin ‘bacchanale’ brooch and wears oak calfskin stiletto-heeled sandal boots with front cutout detailing.
20. Mary, Queen of Melrose
A corsetted dress in degradé Swarovski crystal mesh tartan. The dress disintegrates into slicked black ostrich feathers at the hem. Draped around the arms, an ‘ermine’ stole in spotted double-faced marabou feathers. Mary, Queen of Melrose wears black calfskin stiletto-heeled sandals.
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21. Le Marin
A corsetted tailcoat with a scooping notch lapelled sailor collar and extended cuffs in laminated black brocade, worn with capri trousers and a dixie cup hat in matching material. Beneath, a ruff in crinkled écru silk mousseline. Le Marin wears black pleated lambskin boots with morphing wedge heel.
22. Ana Maria
A strapless scarlet dentelle chantilly de Calais shift dress with an asymmetrical, ruffled flamenco hem, underlaid with tonal silk tulle. Ana Maria wears black stretch nappa stiletto-heeled sandal boots with knotted strap detailing.
23. The Virgo
A column gown with capelet shoulders, bonded to a hand-assembled silver Swarovski crystal mesh trawling net. The Virgo wears opera gloves in matching material and nude calfskin stiletto-heeled sandals.
24. Aphrodite
A ruffled dress draped from 250 metres of sea foam silk tulle, worn beneath a cream silk shantung taffeta corset with gleaming silver eyelets and tonal nappa leather lacing. Aphrodite wears black calfskin stiletto-heeled sandal boots with front cutout detailing.
25. La Veuve
A cascading black silk tulle cape dress with gathered sleeves, worn over ruffle-hemmed capri pants in matching material. La Veuve wears black calfskin stiletto-heeled sandal boots with front cutout detailing.
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26. La Comtesse de Saint Sernin
A corsetted white cotton guipure tailcoat with a flounced hem and sleeves, worn over capri pants in matching material. La Comtesse de Saint Sernin wears black stretch nappa stiletto-heeled sandal boots with knotted strap detailing.
27. The Scorpio
An off-shoulder trained gown in stiff black silk tulle, worn beneath a black satin duchesse-wrapped corset cage embroidered with tonal ostrich feathers. The Scorpio wears black calfskin stiletto-heeled sandal boots with front cutout detailing.
28. Le Marié
A pussy bow blouse in crinkled ivory silk mousseline with peasant sleeves, ostrich feather-trimmed cuffs and a train in tonal silk tulle, tucked beneath a fringe-trimmed pearl satin cuir corset with an angular hip construction and cream nappa leather lacing. Below, black satin de laine capri pants. Le Marié wears black pleated lambskin boots with morphing wedge heel
29. La Mariée
A goose feather-embroidered corset in pearl silk satin cuir with a slicked écru ostrich feather-embroidered panier and a cloud-white silk organza train, worn over a mermaid skirt in supple ivory silk tulle. La Mariée wears off-white calfskin stiletto-heeled sandal
