Jean Paul Gaultier Soleil c.1990 Vintage “Portraits” Mesh Maxi Dress
View Similar Items
Jean Paul Gaultier Soleil c.1990 Vintage “Portraits” Mesh Maxi Dress
About the Item
- Designer:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: M (EU)
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Naples, FL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1624111716942
Jean Paul Gaultier Soleil
Endeavoring to tear down gender stereotypes and sartorial norms on the catwalk, making underwear outerwear, putting men in skirts and models of all shapes and sizes on the runway, Jean Paul Gaultier has created transformational clothing designs that draw on numerous influences and boldly merge haute couture with street sensibility. The wildly provocative French designer's 1990s diffusion line Soleil is known for semi-sheer pieces that scream rock-star style.
An only child raised in the suburbs of Paris, Gaultier didn’t have a formal fashion education. But he loved to sketch and was drawn to clothing, citing the corsets in his maternal grandmother’s closet as having a formative impact on his creative direction. He’s said that some of his earliest fashion work was for his teddy bear, and later he would send his sketches to designers he revered, including Pierre Cardin.
Gaultier began his career in 1970 as an assistant to Cardin, who admired the sketches the 18-year-old had sent for his appraisal. After Gaultier had his first runway show in 1976, featuring unconventional statements like pairing motorcycle jackets with ballerina skirts, it didn’t take long for his star to rise.
Gaultier's playful but exquisitely crafted reimaginings of classic Parisian styles — the striped mariner shirt, the trench coat — soon became recurring themes of his eponymous house, which he founded with his life partner and business associate Francis Menuge in 1982.
“He was absolutely peerless for the longest time in the late ’80s and early ’90s,” fashion editor Tim Blanks told the New York Times. This was the period of Gaultier’s most iconic designs.
In 1984, Gaultier’s “Boy Toy” collection challenged men’s fashion with striped shirts and skirts — and sold around 3,000 of them. He was hailed for spectacle-laden runway shows and superb tailoring. Gaultier began to work with Madonna during the late 1980s, and, at the pop star’s request, he designed the costumes for her 1990 “Blond Ambition” tour. Her pink corset became a cultural touchstone of the era.
Gaultier continued to expand his brand. There were the colorful all-over graphic prints in the sheer stretch-tulle fabric of his Soleil line — which have gained fans in millennials seeking the authentic, easy style of 1990s fashion — and he debuted his first couture collection in 1997. Gaultier created costumes for film and stage and was nominated for a César Award for Best Costume Design for The City of Lost Children (1995) and then a second for Luc Besson’s The Fifth Element (1997).
From 2003 to 2010, Gaultier was the creative director for Hermès. The first international exhibition of his work, “The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk,” debuted in 2011 at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and toured to cities including Stockholm, New York City, Dallas and London. He presented his last ready-to-wear collection in 2014 and in 2020 stepped down from his couture line, ending his boundary-pushing, industry-shaping reign with a raucous show of more than 230 outfits formed from fragments of collections from across his 50-year career.
One of fashion’s enfants terribles, Gaultier has never sought out pretty for pretty’s sake. Instead, he has challenged the traditional ideals of beauty. Today, the designer's vintage clothing designs — experimental undergarments cut from lace and suede, leather-trimmed evening dresses and jackets of denim, plastic or striped jersey — are as punk as they are high fashion.
Browse a wide range of vintage Jean Paul Gaultier Soleil dresses, tops and other clothing on 1stDibs.
- Jean Paul Gaultier F/W 2001 Chain Embellished Abstract Print Slip Evening DressBy Jean Paul GaultierLocated in Naples, FLJean Paul Gaultier F/W 2001 Chain Embellished Abstract Print Slip Evening Dress Gown IT 42Category
21st Century and Contemporary Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Versace S/S 2005 Runway Seashell Print Belted Wrap DressBy VersaceLocated in Naples, FLVersace S/S 2005 Runway Seashell Print Belted Wrap Dress IT 38 Look 20 from the Spring 2005 Collection.Category
Early 2000s Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Versace F/W 2005 Runway Sheer Lace Panel DressBy VersaceLocated in Naples, FLVersace F/W 2005 Runway Sheer Lace Panel Dress IT 40 Look 36 from the Fall 2005 Collection.Category
Early 2000s Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Gucci S/S 2005 Plunging Cutout Backless Bodycon Mini DressBy GucciLocated in Naples, FLGucci S/S 2005 Plunging Cutout Backless Bodycon Mini Dress IT 38 FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM @OPULENTADDICTCategory
Early 2000s Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Versace F/W 2005 Runway Plunging Neckline Ruched Animal Print DressBy VersaceLocated in Naples, FLVersace F/W 2005 Runway Plunging Neckline Ruched Animal Print Dress IT 44 Look 23 from the Fall 2005 Collection. Brown and multicolor Versace silk mini dress...Category
Early 2000s Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Roberto Cavalli F/W 2016 Runway Gold Sheer Lace Evening Dress GownBy Roberto CavalliLocated in Naples, FLRoberto Cavalli F/W 2016 Runway Gold Sheer Lace Evening Dress Gown IT 38 Look 29 from the Fall 2016 collection.Category
2010s Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Leonard of Paris Pastel Silk Chiffon Day / Evening DressBy Leonard of ParisLocated in New York, NYPretty pastel silk chiffon Leonard of Paris special occasion day / evening dress. Bodice has a ruffled capelet that flows from the center of the dress...Category
Late 20th Century French Day Dresses
- Mariano Fortuny Sienna Peplos GownBy FortunyLocated in Riverdale, NYThis dress is made of finely pleated sienna colored silk with silk cording along side seams,shoulders and tunic hem with multicolored glass beads threaded through the cording.
...CategoryEarly 20th Century Italian Art Deco Peplos
Price Upon Request - Mariano Fortuny Rare Shell Pink Long Sleeved Delphos GownBy FortunyLocated in Riverdale, NYDescription: This dress is made of finely pleated shell pink colored silk with silk cording along side seams, and multicolored glass beads threaded through the cording.
CategoryEarly 20th Century Italian Art Deco Delphos Gowns
Price Upon RequestMariano Fortuny Claret Delphos. Provenance Tina ChowBy FortunyLocated in Riverdale, NYThis dress is made of finely pleated claret colored silk with silk cording along side seams, and multicolored glass beads threaded through the cording. The beads are amber glass with...CategoryEarly 20th Century Italian Art Deco Delphos Gowns
Price Upon RequestRoberto Cavalli Leopard Print Sequin Dress F/W 2007 Size 38ITBy Roberto CavalliLocated in Saint Petersburg, FLRoberto Cavalli - This gold and brown leopard print sequin dress is reminiscent of Marilyn Monroe "curve appeal". The sexy, dress is made out of shimmery silk sequin fabric. The dre...CategoryEarly 2000s Italian Sac Evening Dresses
Roberto Cavalli Burgundy and Gold Frayed Dress F/W 2004 Size 38ITBy Roberto CavalliLocated in Saint Petersburg, FLRoberto Cavalli - This gold and burgundy frayed dress has a certain je ne sais quoi about it. The sexy, rustic dress is made out of two layers of delicate silk fabric. The outer layer of gold and burgundy print and the inner lining is Roberto Cavalli signature leopard print. This is a slip on dress...CategoryEarly 2000s Italian Summer Dresses