Okay, so I decided I wanted to really try and get that “Jean Paul Gaultier guy” vibe. You know, that sort of effortlessly cool, a bit rebellious, but still chic look. I wasn’t about to splash out on actual designer gear, but I thought, hey, I can capture the essence, right? My own little project.
So, I started by thinking, what’s the core of it? Stripes, obviously. The Breton stripe is practically his signature. Seemed like a good starting point. Simple enough, I figured. How wrong I was.
The Great Stripe Hunt
First off, I went looking for the perfect striped top. I must have hit up, like, a dozen shops, plus spent hours scrolling online. And you know what? It’s surprisingly hard to find the Gaultier stripe. They’re all either too thin, too thick, the spacing is weird, or the blue is just…off. I found plenty of striped shirts, but none of them really had that specific punch. It was frustrating. I actually started dreaming about stripes. My roommate probably thought I was losing it.
After that, I thought, okay, maybe it’s not just the stripes. It’s the fit, the attitude. Gaultier’s menswear often has a certain sharpness, or plays with traditional male silhouettes. So, I tried on a few things from my own wardrobe, trying to style them differently. I even dug out an old kilt I bought years ago – you know, Gaultier did skirts for men. Let me tell you, I felt… conspicuous. And not in a cool, Gaultier way. More like a “what on earth is he wearing?” kind of way.
My DIY Adventure (or Misadventure)
Right, so buying wasn’t working out, and just restyling wasn’t hitting the mark. I thought, “I’ll get hands-on!” I had this plain black t-shirt and an idea. I was going to try and recreate one of those trompe-l’œil muscle prints he sometimes did. Genius, right? I got some fabric paint, sketched out a design. It was supposed to be ironic and cool.
- First, sketching it on the fabric was harder than I thought. The fabric kept stretching.
- Then, the painting. Oh boy. My brush control was not what I imagined. The lines were wobbly.
- The paint bled a bit in some places. So instead of defined “muscles,” it looked more like… vague, slightly alarming smudges.
- I let it dry, hoping it would look better. It did not. It looked like I’d spilled something weird on myself.
I even considered trying to make one of those cone bra-inspired tops for a laugh, but for a guy. But after the t-shirt disaster, I figured I should quit while I was only mildly humiliated by my own crafting skills. The t-shirt went straight into the “never to be seen again” pile in the back of my closet.
Why Even Bother, You Ask?
You’re probably wondering why I went through all this. Honestly, I was just a bit fed up with my usual look. Everything felt so samey. I saw some old Gaultier shows online, and the guys just looked so confident and interesting. I wanted a bit of that spark. Thought it would be a fun challenge, a way to push my own boundaries a little. I admire his stuff, the boldness of it. I figured, how hard can it be to inject a tiny bit of that into my own life?
So, did I achieve the “Jean Paul Gaultier guy” look? Not really. Not even close. What I did achieve was a new appreciation for actual designers. It’s not just throwing some stripes on something or drawing a wonky muscle print. There’s a real art to it. My big takeaway? Some things are best left to the professionals. And maybe I’ll just stick to admiring Gaultier from afar. But hey, it was an experience. A slightly messy, paint-stained experience.