Jean Paul Gaulter, the man of corsettes, power, diversity and freedom of expression had his first international solo exhibition at the Brooklyn museum a few weeks ago, and I was amazed. The interactive elements on the mannequin's that everyone talked about where amazing, but this exhibition had a lot more to offer. It truly had a good balance between showing the history of his work and personal character. I've never been a big fan of his clothing, and even though I thought Madonna's cone bra was innovative, the playfulness of the serious topics he tackles was not evident to me until now. All the outfits where very conceptual and the mannequins highlighted how much weight he puts on personal expression.
The most astounding thing to me was his notion of the female form expressed though his corset designs. As stated "Raised by strong women, Gaultier rejects the myth of the weaker sex. With derisive humor, he aims to reinterpret what he sees as signs of the imprisoned female body." This sentence inspired my personal project, where I am creating a corset that closes and opens according to one's feelings of being trapped.