Gaultier in Paris: “Chic Pocahontas”

It's sorta funny when cultures clash like, say, a Japanese cowboy (thanks Ween!). That's why I wasn't sure whether Sunday's Hermes show in Paris, loaded with a Western-wear theme, was another Bruno stunt. Turns out it was just designer Jean-Paul Gaultier, who rarely disappoints. "Jean-Paul loves women and dresses us in a feminine and very sensual way," Stephanie Seymour told Reuters. "I thought it was like a chic Pocahontas."

That is to say, the show was full of Stetsons, studded leather belts, and dresses that made models look like dusty saloon Jezebels. Naomi Campbell took the runway in a red dress and bikini bottoms. Surrounded by sand, cacti, and cattle-rustlin’ music, Campbell pleased the crowd by throwing her cowboy hat to the crowd. So, how exactly did Gaultier create his cowboy chic collection? “I did not go to Santa Fe,” he assures us. “It was only in my head.”