Twenty years ago in New York City, as the wind tossed wrappers about in the street, the French fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier spied a group of Hasidic rabbis walking in unison. They had the distinctive traits of Hasidism — the long payot side curls, the wide-brimmed hats, the elaborate coats that fell to the knees — and when their locks and clothing swirled in the bristly weather, Gaultier was transfixed. A short time later, he appropriated these "costumes" for a clothing line he called "Chic Rabbis," which debuted at a flashy indoor fashion show where sexy models in phony payot paraded... More >>>