Jean Paul Gaultier Spring Couture 2012, A Tribute to Amy Winehouse

There is no mistaking the look of the first model at Jean Paul Gaultier's couture show Wednesday, the beehive hair and thick eyeliner, black skirt with a white top.

"Amy Winehouse was a true style icon," Gaultier told reporters backstage after a show conceived as a tribute to the soul singer, six months after her untimely death.

"What she stands for above all, is uniqueness. Both in music and the way she dressed, she mixed a great many influences" to create her style, he said.

The French designer took care to keep his tribute subtle -- with nothing too literal -- and Winehouse's voice rang out only at the very end, blending with the sound of a cappella band on stage.