High Fashion Meets High Wire In Jean Paul Gaultier's Circus Themed Paris Collection

Jean-Paul Gaultier had a whole host of sources of inspiration for his latest collection, which debuted on the last day of the glamorous Paris fashion week. Feline prints were an overarching theme, present in a lot of the clothes and even in the models’ hairstyles. The outfits themselves put a new spin on the prints, mixing jungle cat spots with interesting textures like leather, feathers and velvet. Outfits named On the last full day of shows at the prestigious Paris fashion week, he put on a highly theatrical display of outfits sewn from leather, feathers and velvet, and named "Catwoman," "Pink Panther" and "Cruella de Ville" added to the show’s cartoonish effect.

Gaultier infused his own brand of quirkiness into Paris Fashion Week

"Feline print has been always in fashion in haute couture," said Gaultier, known for his rebellious, occasionally campy designes. Speaking backstage for Reuters, he said the look still has its "bordello" connotations. "I tried to use it in a new way."

Leopard print never goes out of style, says the designer.

Another prominent motif was the clown theme, which Gaultier said was inspired by a particular Frederico Fellini film, The Clown, as well as David Bowie’s Ashes to Ashes video. The motif was presented through the use of deep v-shaped pockets on trousers, creating a square, clown-like silhouette and Harlequin-reminiscent dresses. Tubes of fabric in circular patterns enveloped the models to create unexpected silhouettes and both femininity and masculinity were refracted through the lens of color and angular shapes, characteristic of the clownish aesthetic and integrated into Gaultier’s imaginary circus.

And neither do clowns, apparently.