The show began with a scream—one that sliced through the dimly lit expanse of Jean Paul Gaultier’s legendary Paris headquarters. As it echoed across the frow, a corseted model emerged as a shipwrecked damsel in a quintessentially sultry Ludovic de Saint Sernin-designed look. Known for a deeply sensual and gloriously uninhibited approach to womenswear, de Saint Sernin’s foray into Haute Couture saw the designer find an unlikely muse.

De Saint Sernin, the eighth guest designer to helm Gaultier’s couture line since the designer’s retirement in 2020, navigated the waters with a reverence for history, while employing his own instincts for contemporary edge. Eager to tell stories through each look, this collection—titled Naufrage (French for “shipwreck”)—embraced nostalgia with seduction, and contrasts of texture and cuts. Aboard his fashion vessel, an all-star cast of sirens—Candice Swanepoel, Paloma Elsesser, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Alex Consani and Amelia Gray, to name a few—draped in rope-like pleated jersey voile, corseted gowns undone by eyelets and laces, and even tulle slip dresses studded with 50,000 brass pearls.

De Saint Sernin held up Disney’s The Little Mermaid as inspiration, but the collection’s roots stretched far beyond fantasy. The nods to Gaultier’s own archives were unmistakable: a reimagining of his famous boat hat look from 1997, corsetry that hugs the body like a second skin then juts out at the hips, unconventional, sexed-up tailoring, and a general penchant for nautical themes.

With both figures finding common ground in subversive sensuality and glamour, ideas were merged seamlessly. But there were new ideas, too, of course. Feathers given a waterlogged sheen, tartan print rendered in glittering crystals, and latex pressed with crocodile prints that showed up in coordinating sets and dresses. This was Gaultier’s signature hedonism and eclectic beauty, but filtered through de Saint Sernin’s grungier lens.

“For me, it was important to create a collection that is set in a specific universe and tells a very unique and beautiful story that makes you feel like you’re travelling into a new experience,” he said of the collection—and transport he did.