Fashion

For Fall 2026, Duran Lantink Turned the Jean Paul Gaultier Archive Into His Playground

BYKhaoula Ghanem

March 10, 2026

For Jean Paul Gaultier’s Fall 2026 ready-to-wear, Duran Lantink’s second outing at the house arrived with a noticeably different tone. If his debut last year was loud and widely debated (who can forget the now-infamous hairy bodysuits?) this season felt calmer and more considered. But the provocation hadn’t disappeared; it had simply been sharpened. The result? A collection that traded shock value for wit, restraint, and a deeper conversation with the archive.

The show opened with a cast of characters that felt straight out of a Gaultier fever dream: detectives, cowboys, bankers, femme fatales, ravers, and something vaguely futuristic moving between them all. It was less a linear story than a rotating wardrobe of archetypes, each filtered through Lantink’s playful lens. According to the house, the starting point was a vintage mesh T-shirt from the designer’s own wardrobe printed with the face of Marlene Dietrich, a figure who embodied contradictions.

Jean Paul Gaultier Fall 2026 Ready-to-Wear. Supplied

Dietrich became the collection’s guiding spirit. the Dutch designer built an entire philosophy around her image, something he called “Madame Masculinity,” an idea that neatly aligns with Jean Paul Gaultier’s decades-long fascination with blurring gender lines. Dietrich famously wore tuxedos when women weren’t supposed to; she wielded masculinity like a costume, turning it into something seductive rather than restrictive. It’s exactly the kind of energy that has always lived inside Gaultier’s DNA.

The first looks established the collection’s new, more controlled direction. Tailoring dominated early on with pinstripe trousers paired with sculptural jackets that hugged the waist and exaggerated the shoulders. One sharply cut black coat sloped dramatically at the shoulders, giving the model the silhouette of a Wall Street banker crossed with a film noir detective. Another look paired a pinstripe hooded shirt with a crimson tie, creating a strangely formal yet slightly dystopian uniform.

Jean Paul Gaultier Fall 2026 Ready-to-Wear. Supplied

There were Western undertones too, though they were delicately coded rather than overt. Black cowboy hats punctuated several all-black looks, while leather gloves subtly evoked old-school gunslingers. One shirt nodded to classic Western tailoring with chest pockets and epaulettes, but rendered in sleek monochrome so it felt more Paris runway than Texas rodeo.

Even the more dramatic pieces were rooted in disciplined construction. Take the pleated black dress that appeared midway through the show. Its high neckline rose like a sculptural collar, while the skirt flared outward into a circular form before cascading into a trailing hem. It had the quiet drama of couture, yet still felt wearable in the way Gaultier always intended his clothes to be.

Lantink also wove archival references throughout the collection like Easter eggs for devoted Gaultier followers. A gathered-waist pinstripe suit nodded to the Spring 2016 haute couture collection Le Palace. Color-blocked technical nylon blazers and trousers referenced the sportier edge of Gaultier’s early work, when the designer flirted with athleticwear long before luxury brands made it fashionable.

Jean Paul Gaultier Fall 2026 Ready-to-Wear. Supplied

Other references were deeper cuts. A velvet dress with stacked rings around the torso echoed the layered necklaces of the Spring 1994 Les Tatouages collection. Meanwhile, two models emerged wearing white bodysuits printed with wooden mannequins—a clear callback to the Fall 2004 Les Marionnettes show.

But Lantink wasn’t merely recycling Gaultier’s greatest hits. His real contribution lies in transformation, a method that mirrors the founder’s own approach. The press notes describe how the designer spent years reconstructing existing garments through vintage finds, past collections, even clothes from his own wardrobe into something entirely new.

And yet, the most surprising element of the collection was its restraint. For a house synonymous with spectacle, Lantink’s second chapter felt almost disciplined. The clothes were still playful, and still strange, but they no longer relied on shock to get the point across.

Scroll down to discover some of our favorite looks from the collection.

Jean Paul Gaultier Fall 2026 Ready-to-Wear. Supplied

For Fall 2026, Duran Lantink Turned the Jean Paul Gaultier Archive Into His Playground

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For Fall 2026, Duran Lantink Turned the Jean Paul Gaultier Archive Into His Playground

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