Berlin goes Vegas in revue show by Jean Paul Gaultier

Designer Jean Paul Gaultier may have retired his ready-to-wear line, but his love for creating grand, inspiring fashion has found a new outlet. Gaultier recently spent months designing the costumes for "The One," a Vegas-style revue show debuting October 6, 2016 in Berlin.

Gaultier was inspired to create a revue by a visit to the Friedrichstadt-Palast in 2014 to see the "THE WYLD" featuring the work of designer Thierry Mugler. As the story goes, Gaultier introduced himself to theater director Berndt Schmidt, saying, "I would simply love to design for one of the next Palast shows! Being able to design the outfits for a revue show was a childhood dream of mine."

Gaultier has become one of the most well-known fashion designers since his career began in 1976. He's not only created daring clothing for the runway, he's also worked with pop stars in developing their image. One of the best known is Madonna, whose "Blond Ambition" tour and videos featured Gaultier's infamous cone bra and tight corset.

For inspiration for "The One," Gaultier looked to numerous visits to the infamous Berghain night club, he told "The New York Times." The costumes, which were created with a team at the Friedrichstadt-Palast, include more than 50 new fabric patterns and nearly 150,000 Swarovski jewels.

Spurred by Berlin's reputation as a party hub, "The One" follows a partygoer through the city's underground. It is said to be inspired by Las Vegas's glittering shows, featuring feathered headdresses on showgirls mixing with German singers like Brigitte Oelke and Roman Lob. Gaultier's hand is clearly evident in the costumes, which are heavy on bondage gear, body modification, androgyny and punk.

The look is one that Gaultier had perfected in the 1990s with costumes for the science fiction movie "The Fifth Element," when he adorned an android played by supermodel Milla Jovovich in what looked like a suit made of Ace bandages and other unusual alien undergarments.

At 11 million euros ($12.3 million), "The One" has the largest budget of any show at the Friedrichstadt-Palast to date. So far, ticket sales have it on track to be the best-selling production at the theater, which had originally gained fame for its cabaret shows during the Weimar Republic era between the World Wars.