Inside (and Backstage) at Gaultier’s Last Runway Show

True to Gaultier’s signature style, the show was an epic experience hosted inside the historic Théâtre du Châtelet. Boy George kicked things off by singing Amy Winehouse’s "Back to Black." Dita Von Teese, Rossy de Palma, Karen Elson, Farida Khelfa, and Beatrice Dalle walked alongside models Gigi and Bella Hadid, Winnie Harlow, Paris Jackson, and Irina Shayk.

PARIS, FRANCE - JANUARY 22: Winnie Harlow walks the runway during the Jean-Paul Gaultier Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2020 fashion show as part of Paris Fashion Week at Theatre Du Chatelet on January 22, 2020 in Paris, France. (Photo by Victor VIRGILE/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)Victor VIRGILE

Although Gaultier may be most well-known for his garments, he's also always been very expressive when it comes to beauty. The makeup and hair in his shows is always spectacular. He's released iconic perfumes including Classique, which may have at least partially inspired the design of Kim Kardashian's KKW Body Perfume bottle.

For his spring 2020 couture show, makeup artist Erin Parsons was tasked with creating the makeup look. "Jean Paul is such a young-at-heart, jovial human being," Parsons tells Allure. "When he talks to you, there’s so much excitement for everything, and you can feel how much he appreciates the creativity you’ll bring to him."

During the show, Gaultier presented an array of looks inspired by his previous collections while many of the beauty looks seen during the show were incredibly modern. Parsons applied stripes of glitter across models' eyes that twinkled under the lights, as well as brow-high shadow in washes of orange, blue and violet. With over 200 looks — and nearly as many models — she worked with a team of 45 assistants.

PARIS, FRANCE - JANUARY 22: A model walks the runway during the Jean-Paul Gaultier Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2020 fashion show as part of Paris Fashion Week at Theatre Du Chatelet on January 22, 2020 in Paris, France. (Photo by Victor VIRGILE/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)Victor VIRGILE

For the watercolor-like eyes, Parsons says she swept on shadow before speckling on a matching liquid. "I dipped a toothbrush in the matching paint and flecked on the pigment creating a splatter effect," she explains. "It was a smoky eye with 'fleckles,' a term to create the splatter freckle effect."

PARIS, FRANCE - JANUARY 22: A model walks the runway during the Jean-Paul Gaultier Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2020 fashion show as part of Paris Fashion Week at Theatre Du Chatelet on January 22, 2020 in Paris, France. (Photo by Victor VIRGILE/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)Victor VIRGILE

One of her favorite looks of the show surprisingly took the shortest time to create. It looked like silver glitter flecks sprinkled on the cheek and eye areas. "It was created in a way to look like silver sparkle freckles to match the other looks," Parsons says.

To create depth, she began by brushing a silver pigment around the eyes, "keeping it sheer in the center," she says. Then, she added silver glitter in small and large sizes to the palm of her hand before blowing it onto the models' faces. "It landed in an organic pattern creating the idea of sparkle freckles," she explained. "This look honestly took about two minutes to create but gave such an impact on the runway."

PARIS, FRANCE - JANUARY 22: Noemie Lenoir walks the runway during the Jean-Paul Gaultier Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2020 fashion show as part of Paris Fashion Week at Theatre Du Chatelet on January 22, 2020 in Paris, France. (Photo by Victor VIRGILE/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)Victor VIRGILE

The overarching freckle theme was requested by Gaultier himself, according to Parsons. From there, she thought up her own interpretations. "I wanted to do something a bit creative versus just drawing on faux freckles we’ve seen in the past," she says. "It was first created for the redheads in the section titled 'taches de rousseur' (French for freckles). Then, JPG had the genius idea to do it in various shades. I used bright yellow, orange, red and even blue."

PARIS, FRANCE - JANUARY 22: A model walks the runway during the Jean-Paul Gaultier Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2020 fashion show as part of Paris Fashion Week at Theatre Du Chatelet on January 22, 2020 in Paris, France. (Photo by Victor VIRGILE/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)Victor VIRGILE

A few of the models also had a metallic, foil-like eyeshadow that Parsons created using top-secret products she’s keeping under wraps. (She used it in last season’s couture show for the designer as well.) "The gold metallic eye, which I was shaped like a rectangle, also came in a range of colors and duo-chrome effects," Parsons says. "Joan Smalls had it in blue glitter; Tami Williams had red, and the duo chrome gold was seen throughout the camouflage section of the show."

PARIS, FRANCE - JANUARY 22: Joan Smalls walks the runway during the Jean-Paul Gaultier Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2020 fashion show as part of Paris Fashion Week at Theatre Du Chatelet on January 22, 2020 in Paris, France. (Photo by Victor VIRGILE/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)Victor VIRGILE

Odile Gilbert was the lead hairstylist for the show. Similarly theatrical looks with flowers, massive curls, blunt bangs, and slicked-back chignons — basically any kind of hairstyle you could imagine — made appearances.

PARIS, FRANCE - JANUARY 22: A model walks the runway during the Jean-Paul Gaultier Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2020 fashion show as part of Paris Fashion Week at Theatre Du Chatelet on January 22, 2020 in Paris, France. (Photo by Victor VIRGILE/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)Victor VIRGILE

Although it may have been the designer’s last chance to send couture looks down the runway, Gaultier gave Parsons a lot of creative freedom. "In the end, he basically let me pick what looks I wanted to do on the girls," she says. "Sometimes, it was tough if they had a lot of changes because I needed the makeup to work in each outfit. This is why I kept a lot of natural looks in there and sprinkled some bright colors or silver throughout."

After the show, Gaultier shared his feelings backstage. "I feel very happy with emotion. It was a pleasure to make a party of it," he said. "There were a lot of old models that I love who came especially for the show. I tried to structure everything very well, but in reality, today, it’s like a bordello, just like my first collection. It was not exactly what was supposed to happen, but it doesn’t matter. In life, you have to be a chameleon."