Man's jacket
Brand
Jean Paul Gaultier Homme
Designer
Jean Paul Gaultier
(born 1952)
1988
Black wool gabardine, striped velveteen, tassels, and brass
Museum purchase
Object numberP88.76.4
This jacket underscores Jean-Paul Gaultier's mastery of fusing formality and playful irreverence. While the jacket appears simple from the front, a distinctly non-traditional, boldly striped, velvet fabric was chosen for the back. The velvet is adorned with heraldic motifs, both authentic and invented. Fleurs de lis are combined with Gaultier's own insignia, including his monogram and the phrase, "too fast to live, too young to die." Large tassels add motion and dimension, while metal grommets allude to Gaultier's Punk and streetwear sensibility.
DescriptionMan's heraldic jacket in black wool gabardine decorated on striped velveteen back with Renaissance-style tassels and emblem inscribed Too fast to live, too young to die; double-breasted, with peaked lapel and square brass buttons, heraldic print liningExhibitions