Transporting the audience to a steamy night in Marrakech, Jean-Paul Gaultier presented a collection that offered as many marvels as a teeming souk. With a humid hammam backdrop, hunky men in skimpy briefs doused themselves as models paraded an array of North African-inspired outfits. Djellabas, in embroidered suede or crisp cotton, came with matching coats or were worn under tailored clothing. The enfant terrible of the French fashion scene winked, via lookalike models, to Yves Saint Laurent and Betty Catroux -Morocco's most stylish settlers (see last pics)- yet he made the familiar seem fresh. Robe-like knitwear, safari jackets and sarouel pants, for instance, were thematic but wearable. Prints popped out of billowing kaftans when viewed through 3-D specs, which added a new twist -as did Mr Gaultier himself who whirled at the end of the runway during the finale. It was all quite elegant, of course, and also a bit subdued for JPG. Spice came in the form of surprises like Jackson Pollock-style white splatter painting on black trousers, tunics, and matching tote bags, and at the end, the celestial prints that came alive when seen through 3-D glasses. The bespectacled Saint Laurent would've approved.
