spring 2007---It's Jean Paul Gaultier's 30th anniversary

Thirty Year Retrospective1983 L'Homme Objet

It's Jean Paul Gaultier's 30th anniversary, and just to prove that he's been there, done that, the playful genius sends out a retrospective of his greatest hits.

From a distressed black leather biker jacket tamed with a big black tulle skirt and black and white Converse sneakers from his first collection in '76; t

o his conical bra corset gown from '82;

to iconic pieces from his cool tattoo and piercing collection of '93;

to his Mexican corseted fantasy from the Homage to Frida Kahlo in '97;

to his 2000 couture offering of a spectacular tulle camouflage gown to his "Gitanes" Gypsy woman celebration in 2004, Gaultier has left no fashion stone unturned.

Whether it was a fascination with bondage or Hassidic Jews, Gaultier dove headlong into every sort of sartorial expression possible, and always managed to dream up new and exciting ways of dressing us up.

But the retrospective collection is followed by a new offering - an assortment of work-out inspired clothes, like little satin embroidered track jackets and shorts, all very colourful, upbeat, and disco/gym ready, complete with high heel sneakers. The runway smacks of '80s nostalgia, and celebrates the high/low mix that's become such an integral part of the way we dress today.

He even includes an extremely plump, scantily clad model named Velvet, whose turn in front of a cross-armed, seemingly unamused Anna Wintour, is a sight to behold.

"I just wanted to have fun, to really explore the kind of energy I feel around me," Gaultier enthuses post-show. "Even beyond the physical, it's always that energy we depend on for creativity."

And that's precisely what should keep this boyish genius forging ahead into the future. "It's about heart, and spirit," he laughs. "And as long as I have my brain, I'll just keep going," he promises.