A tale of plastic surgery

MANILA, Philippines - In Pedro Almadovar’s latest psychological drama, a compelling nightmare that pays homage to Hitchcock, a man obsessed with his deceased wife replicates her image with a series of mysterious surgeries on Vera, a young woman he holds captive. Almadovar touches on the hellish realities of transformation through surgery and the isolating consequences of obsession in The Skin I Live In.

Just as melodrama and non-linear narratives are signatures of Almadovar, so are stylish sets and chic costumes. Collaborating with Jean Paul Gaultier on the costumes resulted in ascetic body suits that hinted at the character’s enigmatic metamorphosis.

“When he makes explicitly erotic clothes, he does them in an innocent way, as a naughty kid would. He doesn’t have a morbid approach, he’s simply frank and he’s naturally prone to the pleasure of the senses. He’s always played with the combination of the feminine and of the masculine. Both in Bad Education and The Skin I Live In, he combines very well the concepts of ‘nakedness’ and ‘identity,’” Almadovar observes of Gaultier’s talents.

“In Skin, I needed a garment that created the sensation that it was protecting the skin and, at the same time, reflected the numerous surgical interventions that the body has gone through. The bodysuit was like a second skin. The stitches and paddings in certain areas suggest Vera’s own scars. At the same time, when presenting Vera’s character in a general shot, I wanted to create the impression that she was naked but also that her skin had a particular kind of glow, somehow artificial. Jean-Paul’s bodysuit manages to transmit all that.”