DMA Targets Gaultier

Up until now, the closest many of us have ever gotten to a Jean Paul Gaultier fashion piece was when he designed a collection for Target last year. The fashion blogosphere exploded with anticipation, and buyers snatched up everything online within days of the line’s debut. Strangely, those pieces languished in physical Target stores forever. Unlike the coveted Missoni line, the Gaultier collection gathered dust as it eventually went on clearance and plummeted to 75 percent off. That really speaks to the fact that Gaultier is so avant garde that his fashion just can’t translate to the jeans- and flats-wearing Target consumer the way other designers’ work can. There are only so many places the average woman can wear a corset-constructed sheath, and work/school/Lakewood Landing aren’t on the list. As Andy Warhol once said, Gaultier’s ensembles are true works of art; they reflect the social and cultural (if not the economic) realities of the world around us, and they inspire everyone from Pedro Almodavor to Lady Gaga. The Fashion World of John Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk is a unique opportunity to get an up-close look at nearly 130 haute couture pieces by Gaultier (including a few signature Madonna pieces) and truly appreciate the craftsmanship and design that went into them. The multimedia exhibition — one of only two stops on the North American tour — will run through February 12 at the Dallas Museum of Art, 1717 North Harwood St. Exhibition hours are 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays from and 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Thursdays. Tickets are $20 on weekends and $16 on weekdays, with discounts for seniors, children and groups. Admission is free for DMA members. Visit dm-art.org for more information.
Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays-Sundays, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; Thursdays, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Starts: Nov. 8. Continues through Feb. 12, 2011