When Jean Paul learned how to wear a kilt
Jean Paul Gaultier has gone from being a lonely boy in the Parisian suburbs to one of the most celebrated names in fashion. He tells Sunday Herald‘s Peter Ross about the influence of his grandmother, the death of his lover and how an incident at Madonna‘s wedding taught him how to wear a kilt.
Writing for Scotland’s award-winning independent newspaper, Peter Ross asked first of all about Gaultier’s autumn 2007 ready-to-wear collection which he showed in Paris at the end of February. It involved a lot of tartan, and was not the first time he has shown a distinct Scottish influence in his designs; famously, he is a great advocate for kilts. “Why? Because years ago I was impressed by the movie Brigadoon. I was 13 years old and loved the clothes.” In 1970, aged 18, he and a friend visited Perth, Loch Ness and Edinburgh, considering the latter particularly beautiful on account of its smoke-blackened stone. Gaultier wore a kilt but had not yet discovered the joys of going au naturel beneath one’s plaid.
“Then I went to the wedding of Madonna in Scotland,” he continues, “and I was wearing a kilt. And the husband, Guy Ritchie, because his family is from Scotland, was wearing a kilt. So I asked if the legend was true that you wear nothing under it, and he told me, Yes! Voilà!‘” Gaultier mimics Ritchie lifting his kilt and revealing all. “So now I know that it’s true. Until that time I didn’t follow the tradition but now I definitely do.”
Click here to read the full interview on sundayherald.com.