Let it never be said that Alexandre Vauthier doesn’t understand his customer. When it comes to a certain breed of much-photographed young celebrity—the Kardashian-Jenners, the Hadids, and those who aim to look like them—Vauthier has cornered the market. His easy-to-wear ensembles hew to the monochromatic, the sexed-up, and the occasionally asymmetrical, in line with a sort of hyper-stylized minimalism popular with most of those starlets big sisters. But, above all, they are easy to throw on before turning yet another paparazzi attack into a photo opportunity. There is a reason that Bella Hadid wore a plunging black number by Vauthier to the Grammys. “She loves what I do,” said the designer with a shrug, midway through the presentation of his new Fall collection at his airy, sun-splashed studio right off the Avenue Georges V. Knowing where to suck in and where to spill out has clearly served him well.
The clothes were typically tight and black and plunging, unless they were sheer and black and very, very short. A khaki colorway held sway for a few looks, as did a lipstick red—most vibrantly in a Thriller-esque patent jumpsuit with jutting hip pockets—but almost everything else came back to black. Vauthier understands that the modern It girl on the prowl needs to be ready for anything—coffee and errands in New York, a red carpet in L.A.—and so he has offerings for all occasions, from black-tie Swarovski-beaded gowns to day frocks, military-inspired coats, sleeveless jogging suits, and logo-bearing T-shirt dresses. Shoes were a new endeavor, and while most were stiletto-heeled and party-ready, flat combat boots and slip-on sneakers were also represented, with, Vauthier explained, more flats on the way.
Knitted body-con dresses in a tonal cheetah print felt a little uncomfortably close to that grand master of sex appeal, Azzedine Alaïa, but they were nonetheless the type of thing that promises to fly off shelves. In fact, a black body-con piece with strategic sheer cutouts had already walked out the door a day previous on—who else?—Bella Hadid, en route to the Balmain party. See? He knows what he’s doing.
