“Wood grain, I’m grippin’,” a great poet once quipped, and Gaultier’s fall 2016 haute couture collection took that directive seriously. Inspired, it seems, by the forest and all its riches, he showed a variety of deciduous grains and gave models furry chipmunk hats, kept a natural color scheme of mahoganies and verdant greens, and ended it all with model Soo Joo Park draped in fluffy white like the graceful blooms of the cottonwood.
The nature vibes were interrupted only by the occasional hunting plaid, as though proper British musketeers and their foxhounds were a natural part of the landscape. (And, you know, the furry animals those people hunt! Designers, stop using fur, it’s unnecessary!) But the fantasy woods that Gaultier imagined was as creative as ever, and soundtracked in part by birds chirping and leaves rustling in the wind. It almost makes you miss autumn.
