Alaïa on the move in his FS25 show

Last Friday, Alaïa and its creative director Pieter Mulier offered the Peggy Guggenheim Museum of New York its very first fashion show since its inception in 1959. Although a regular at Paris Fashion Week, this year Alaïa decided to expatriate to the Big Apple for a runway show to present its SW25 collection. A significant return in New York for the brand and its leader, accompanied by of course high expectations and hopes not only from its admirers but the whole the fashion world. Under the museum’s glass ceiling, models paraded in pieces combining Mulier’s creative talent with the unique and recognizable style of the Alaïa House. In the rows, only the most carefully selected A-list guests, including Naomi Campbell, Eva Evangelista and Rihanna. As soon as the latter was seated, the spotlights came on, the models entered and the spiral of magic began. 

This show was not just a tribute to fashion, but also to the setting that hosted it and the country it is located in. Indeed, some pieces in the collection intriguingly echoed the museum’s architecture, such as the voluminous fur coat arranged as if the fur enveloped the model’s body beautifully, presented in ivory and salmon pink, or the bustier dresses with pleated skirts shown at the end of the show, featuring a bodice made of two rounded bands that seemed to wrap around the model’s torso. But the museum was not the only muse to inspire the creative director. Passionate about American fashion, Mulier did not hesitate to set aside his European roots to present a collection primarily inspired by American designers. The bandeau tops paired with chic and elegant sweatpants in fishnet, transparent, or denim were inspired by Halston’s 1970s jumpsuits. The hooded coats and cape paired with a skater mini skirt were drawn from Pauline Trigère’s creations (a French-born but distinctly American designer), while the puffed, yet structured down jackets were inspired by Charles James’s work.

A collection that pays homage to New York, the city where everything began for Alaïa and Mulier, in the most beautiful way, justifying the choice of the show’s location, which might have been misunderstood by the City of Light. In this show, Pieter Mulier’s fashion prowess blended with the Frank Lloyd Wright’s (the museum’s architect) inventiveness and Alaïa’s DNA, offering the audience a blend of silhouettes that defy the laws of gravity with a dizzying allure. And while the star of the last show presented in Paris last January with the F24 ready-to-wear collection was merino wool, this time, it’s the continuity—not only of the spectacle but also of the pieces: no zippers, no buttons in sight, everything flows seamlessly. Silk and taffeta are cut into harmonious silhouettes, elevating sporty wear into an innovative and elegant fashion uniform that perfectly embodies the freedom of body and spirit.