Medium: Black wool

Date: c. 1990

Country: France

Credit: Gift of Sean Scherer

Gaultier made this suit from traditional wool fabric, but he included his signature edge by adding shirred elasticized panels to the jacket and trousers, an innovative and visually arresting fitting technique. The industrial-style zippers, embellishments usually associated with street fashion, are softened with the unusual trimming of shoelace-style bows. This unique blend of tradition and subversion characterizes Gaultier's work and references punk fashion, an influential movement that was emerging as he introduced his own clothing line in the late 1970s.

Object Number: 2005.91.1