Party with celebrated designer Jean Paul Gaultier at the opening event for the exhibition The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier, on view at the de Young from March 24 to August 19, 2012. Blond Ambition. Gritty Glamour. Gender-Bending. La Grande Fête will take guests from "backstage" into the wild and wonderful world of Jean Paul Gaultier, fashion’s enfant terrible. There will be flowing cocktails, delicious food, and music and dancing.

The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk is the first major exhibition dedicated to celebrated French designer Jean Paul Gaultier. More than 130 iconic haute couture and prêt-a-porter ensembles created between the early 1970s and 2010 will be dramatically displayed in scenic contexts ranging from the boudoir to graffiti streets and the catwalk. Animated mannequins talk and sing in playful and outrageous vignettes, enhancing the artistry and culturally revolutionary work of Gaultier.