Jean Paul Gaultier 'Les Tatouages' Esoteric Motif Gazar Frock Coat (SS 1994)

Curator's Note

This runway Jean Paul Gaultier frock coat is part of the Spring/Summer 1994 ready-to-wear collection, Les Tatouages (The Tattoos), one of the most celebrated collections of his career. The show explored the relationship between clothing and the human body as a canvas, bringing together tattoo imagery, religious symbolism and references to eighteenth-century garments. Gaultier presented men in skirts, elaborate corsetry, transparent tattoo-printed garments and pieces incorporating elements of traditional clothing from different cultures. The coat is made from pale sage-green gazar with a metallic sheen, decorated with serpents, open palms and radiating eyes enclosed within triangles. The latter is commonly associated with the Eye of Providence, a symbol also found in Freemasonry. The motifs are arranged symmetrically across the front, with serpents repeated at the shoulders and back. Its high collar, long buttoned front and pleated back recall eighteenth-century frock coats, a recurring historical reference in the collection. The significance of these motifs extends beyond the original collection. In 2024, Simone Rocha revisited Gaultier's archives for her guest haute couture collection and incorporated the same eye and serpent imagery into her own designs. Sarah Mower specifically noted this reference in her review for Vogue, thirty years after Les Tatouages was first presented.

Description

• Jean Paul Gaultier frock coat in pale sage-green gazar
• Crinkled iridescent finish
• Printed and hand-painted esoteric motifs depicting coiled serpents, radiating eyes within triangles and illustrated palms in shades of green and black
• High stand collar
• Single-breasted 
• Abalone buttons
• Long sleeves with hand motifs at the cuffs
• Two front flap pockets at the hips
• Pleated back with a vertical row of buttons
• As seen on the Spring/Summer 1994 Les Tatouages collection
• Featured in the season's campaign

• Simone Rocha referenced this coat for her guest haute couture Jean Paul Gaultier collection 
• No conventional Jean Paul Gaultier label present, however, there is a specific label associated with this piece, which is printed with Imperial crown and radiating arrows 'Paris' below
• Part of the MET's permanent collection (1994.576.2)

Size and Measurements

• No size label, fits S-M
• Measurements are taken with the garment laid flat:
  • Waist: 42cm
  • Length: 97cm
  • Sleeve length: 65cm