Gaultier Honoured as rule breaker
Renata Espinosa

New York—Fashion, like art, has always been a place for people with their own vision to make a statement, with the hopes that others might see it and celebrate it. At the end of the day, designers need to sell clothes, of course, so they’re hoping that others appreciate that vision. But that doesn’t mean they have to play it safe, or that people want the same thing. Quite the contrary. It’s in fashion that many look to find something cutting edge and something that looks to the future.
Not all designers do this - after all, risk-taking is not always the most financially savvy move in the industry - but those that do have a special place in fashion, and are the ones that get remembered: Coco Channel, Yves Saint Laurent and Jean-Paul Gaultier, who was honoured last night, October 26, at Fashion Group International’s annual Night of Stars gala themed “The Rule Breakers.”
Gaultier, who was given the “Superstar” award, stood alongside his date for the evening, Lauren Bacall, as they reflected on what exactly it means to be called a rule breaker.
“What are the rules?” said Jean-Paul Gaultier. “Who makes the rules?” fired back Lauren Bacall. “Exactment!” said Gaultier. “[The rules] are only the reflection of what’s happening in life, in society, so there are no real rules in fashion.”
Other “rule breakers” receiving awards last night included designers Rick Owens, Tomas Meier, Hussein Chalayan and Alber Elbaz.
“I’m very honoured to be in a group of people I respect - Jean Paul Gaultier and Rick Owens, Tomas Meier and Hussein Chalayan,” said Alber Elbaz, who designs for Lanvin and has single-handedly revived the label over the past several years. “People respect your work, and you work so hard and you do so much, and when it people notice it, it’s always so great. I do what I can, I do what I know, I do what I feel. I just do! I don’t work with rules, so I don’t feel I have to break them.”
The star-studded event included plenty of rule breaking guests, both in fashion and outside of it, including Joan Jett, Jennifer Hudson, Jane Krakowski of “30 Rock,” Tilda Swinton and Linda Evangelista. Andre Leon Talley, wearing an unforgettable red smock reminiscent of a headmaster’s gown, was on hand to receive the “Fashion Oracle” award, while the most infamous fashion rule breaker of them all, Simon Doonan of Barneys New York, hosted the evening’s ceremony.
For musicians like Joan Jett, who broke ground in the ‘70s by being a fierce female rocker amidst a musical landscape mostly dominated by men, admitted she hardly considered whether or not she was following or breaking rules and just did what felt right to her.