Well, that was a surprise, in a great way. Instead of going out in a grand spectacular of experimentation and digital display, Pieter Mulier did precisely the opposite for his last show for Alaïa: He focused on quiet perfectionism. “It’s just really clothes for real people, not for an image. That’s what I told my team. Not to ‘impress,’” Mulier said. “To reduce, reduce. No bags, no jewelry. Only beauty and clothes and a naked shoe. Because that’s what Azzedine was.”
Nevertheless, it did impress on everyone watching exactly how difficult—even daring—it is to show clothes in such unsparing close-up. Every line, fabric, and critical nuance of fit came under the appreciative appraisal of the crowd lining the runway. Within seconds, the rarity and the relief of seeing one of today’s creative directors putting on a show centered on believably wearable things was also hitting.
At a time when “bodycon” is about as relevant a theme du jour as it could be, the opening scoop-neck engineered jersey dresses acted as a reminder that Azzedine Alaïa was the designer for whom that very phrase was coined by the press. Backing them up, though, came another key to the mystique of Alaïa: the luxurious classiness he owned. There it was, embedded in the sinuous line of double-breasted coats, in a perfectly tailored leather blazer, and in velvet, cut into amazing pantsuits and as the utlra-chic evening equation of a long column skirt with a matching jacket.
Classic, classy understatement worlds apart from the one-wear “statement” dressing that’s been plaguing fashion for so long. “I doubted for a long time to go as strict, and reduced to the essence,” Mulier admitted. “Because I thought, ah, maybe it’s not enough for the fashion world, but I think it should be enough for the fashion world, because it made my heart beat. And I think that’s what Alaïa’s about.”
He honored the inheritance of the knitwear technology that also powers the house of Alaïa: knitted dresses with scrolling waterfall skirts and flounces; one superbly fitted matte jersey high-necked jumpsuit. As a way of saying goodbye to the house, there was also a reprise of his own innovation: straps tethering the sides of cutaway skirts to the ankle.
Mulier is leaving Alaïa to head for Versace, as the whole fashion world knows. He’d ordered a video slideshow of portraits of his studio team and a printed book as a souvenir and act of respect for these workers, who will be taking over design for the house for the time being. “I want to show what I learned also from the house. Basically, that’s it in a very humble way. I learned precision, I learned editing, and I learned that real luxury is not what we all think,” he concluded. "Real luxury is the perfect cut jacket. Real luxury is not even the fabric anymore. It’s just the fit of something.” After the five years he’s been there, he’s proved he can pull that off par excellence.
