Inspired by: Pirates, Jean Paul Gaultier

Jan 25

Jan 25 Inspired by: Pirates, Jean Paul Gaultier

“On est tous pirates dans la mode, non? -Jean Paul Gaultier

Ever since the first of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise came out in 2003, pirates have been everywhere. This film influenced retail fashion in a very big way. And not just how Jack Sparrow will influence Halloween fashion for generations to come, but pirates are literally everywhere and have been ever since this movie came out, from pirate-themed t-shirts in little boys’ closets, skull and crossed blades jewelry of the tween market, to high-end fashion accessories like Alexander McQueen’s signature scarves and clutches.

Penny Rose’s costumes for all three installments got her nominations for a CDG Award (among others) and a Saturn Award win in 2003. The costumes are so beautiful and fun for a pirate movie (it is a Disney movie after all), it’s no wonder it was so influential. The first two films made pirates popular in mainstream fashion, and after the third film came out in May 2007, Jean Paul Gaultier presented his Spring 2008 Ready-to-Wear Collection. He has said in interviews that the films were certainly part of his inspiration. He used this inspiration to make a collection that highlights the theme of piracy—a concept that is very much present in the fashion world. In the documentary Starz Inside: Fashion in Film, Gaultier says “What is [piracy]? It’s to take something, steal it, and use it in another way.” This is the essence of how we use, reuse, reinvent, and recycle clothes. We are all pirates in fashion!