This is Why Alaïa Crafts Women's Confidence
Image credit: Vogue Runway
When Alaïa presents a new collection in the calendar, it is completely impossible not to stay quiet and stare at each look for long minutes. It has the power of stopping time to remind you that fashion is a form of art, that it is needed, and that it makes sense to keep celebrating it. Pieter Mulier built his world inside Maison Alaïa to honor the evolution that Azzedine would’ve wanted for his house. And in a world of ever-changing climates in the industry, ever-changing concepts, and a merry-go-round of creative talents in the middle of unstable management, it is impossible not to wonder: how does Alaïa do it? But what I want to write today has nothing to do with the chaos outside, because when you enter Alaïa’s world, it almost feels like entering a religious temple. You just close all the doors and windows to immerse yourself in a calmer universe.
This collection was yet another level of elevation in portraying and celebrating a woman's anatomy. But the way Pieter does it—compared to Azzedine’s historical work—is done in a way that speaks about the current image of what the contemporary female is. Azzedine Alaïa’s work was focused more on highlighting the feminine, curvy details of the women that inspired him from a multicultural perspective. Pieter Mulier’s work, on the other hand, not only highlights those details but also takes inspiration from the intellectual side of a woman, which converts Alaïa’s vision into one that not only looks evolved but more complex.
Mulier constantly upgrades his vision as he takes more risks by playing with Azzedine’s historical body-hugging knits to accentuate the shoulders, making them fall to accentuate the hips—a point of view that, in reality, many women can feel insecure about. He goes on to accentuate the hips by using padded, handcrafted pleated skirts using the cardboard technique, bringing sculptural stiffness, and then highlighting a cinched waist. The use of sheer fabrics to highlight the skin features of a woman as well as using a round “boudin” to highlight facial features was also new compared to Azzedine’s archival work, so it becomes evident that Pieter’s focus has become explicitly interested in analyzing a woman’s character from every possible angle. He also highlighted the belly and lower back in some of the looks in a way that truly makes you (as a woman) feel proud of the parts of your body that make you feel insecure, which is a new feeling to me.
By looking at these garments, any woman can get a reminder that they’re beautiful, in any form. Some looks were crafted so meticulously in a way that you know deep inside exactly where the next curve is leading to. The fabrics are worked in a way that seems like they’re hugging the skin, which is exactly how fashion should make women feel: loved.
Image credit: Vogue Runway
Image credit: Vogue Runway