Conchita Wurst makes runway debut for Jean Paul Gaultier

It's an honour Jean Paul Gaultier reserves for muses like Madonna and Dita von Teese, but he chose a certain bearded lady to close his AW14 couture show in Paris: Eurovision winner Conchita Wurst.

Conchita - the drag alter ego of 25-year-old Austrian Thomas Neuwirth – walked down the runway in a floor-length black gown embellished with gold and red, as well as matching black elbow-length gloves and veil. Her beard, as ever, was immaculate. Gaultier was so taken with his gothic bride that he even fell to one knee at the end of the catwalk finale. 

Gaultier told the Independent that he first met Wurst two years ago when she attended one of his couture shows, saying that he went "crazy with joy" when she scooped the Eurovision crown with her rendition of "Rise Like A Phoenix". Conchita even attended the 2014 Vienna Life Ball, one of the world's biggest AIDS charity events, as Gaultier's date. 

"I always say that beauty is difference and Conchita has shown us all that she is unstoppable," Gaultier enthused. "And she looks great in couture; she is a real couture woman."

Runway model is just one more accolade to add to Wurst's growing résumé – the newly-crowned LGBT icon has since gone on to headline Gay Pride festivals in London, Madrid and Stockholm, and is working on her debut album.  

You can read our show report here. What do you think of Jean Paul Gaultier's latest couture muse?