Glamour in the animal kingdom

French designer Jean Paul Gaultier walks on the runway with Swiss celebrity Nabilla Benattia after the presentation of his Haute Couture Fall-Winter 2013/14 Collection during Paris Fashion Week. - AFP

On the last full day of shows at the prestigious Paris fashion week, he put on a highly theatrical display of outfits sewn from leather, feathers and velvet, and named Catwoman, Pink Panther and Cruella de Ville. Even the models’ upswept hair was made to resemble the spotted fur of a jungle cat.

“Feline print has been always in fashion in haute couture,” said Gaultier, known for his irreverence and camp sense of fun. Speaking backstage, he said the look still has its “bordello” connotations. “I tried to use it in a new way.”