After 38 years, Jean Paul Gaultier has retired from his women's and men's ready-to-wear collections and accessories line, which he started when he was just 24 years old.
He's now hanging up his safety pins in a bid to focus on his couture label and successful perfume lines, and other projects he finds interesting. The label went out with a bang on Saturday at the legendary Le Grand Rex cinema in Paris, France, at a pageant of epically camp proportions.
"For some time, I have found true fulfilment working on haute couture. It allows me to express my creativity and my taste for research and experimentation," Gaultier wrote in a letter addressed to Women's Wear Daily, a daily fashion-industry trade journal sometimes called "the bible of fashion".
"At the same time, the world of ready-to-wear has evolved considerably. Commercial constraints, as well as the frenetic pace of collections, don't leave any freedom or the necessary time to find fresh ideas and to innovate."
His 2015 spring/summer collection featured an army of models varying in ages from 21 to 50, divided into sections such as Miss Metro, Miss Vintage, Miss Smoking and Miss Tour de France.
The spectacular show referenced the high points of the "enfant terrible's" incredible career - including his iconic maritime stripes and cone bras - but with surprise treats such as Mexican super heroes in a lucha libre, the professional Mexican wrestling affair.
However, the biggest crowd-pleaser was Miss Rédactrice de Mode as model doppelgangers of Grace Coddington, Emmanuelle Alt, Carine Roitfeld and Suzy Menkes took to the runway to pay loving tribute to the fashion editors who have supported him throughout his career. They were all present, blushing from the front row.
The show concluded with a heaving sea of models awash with gold confetti, as the curtain literally came down on this chapter of the Gaultier story.
Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package. 
