Setting aside for a moment the somewhat confusing categorization of “Les Editions” (gems plucked from the Alaïa archives and re-edited in the original fabrics, or similar ones, with a label denoting the year of that collection) and “Limited Numbered Editions” (semi-couture produced as ready-to-wear pieces), let’s just start with the season’s showstopper: an embroidered coat seemingly spun from thin air into looping macramé-like swirls on 19th-century looms in Switzerland. A semi-couture piece in a category all its own, it is set to be available only through special order at Alaïa boutiques. It will come as no surprise to anyone that that little number is très, très cher.
Alaïa’s sharp-eyed collectors and fans will not need to check the label to parse the ’80s-era belt now extrapolated and expanded into an ultrafine leather skirt, or the razor-sharp ’90s-era bolero in suede and leather, or key pieces in cotton piqué—one of the couturier’s favorite materials—inspired by his final fashion show in July 2017.
Meanwhile, Spring’s new entries are no less covetable, notably a crisp safari jacket in denim or a black knit, and high-waist, cropped trousers that would be instant staples in a globe-trotter’s dream closet. Key pieces include a striped popover in tulle and cotton, a graceful jumpsuit in multiple horizontal weaves, and an off-the-shoulder dress in chocolate knit, its neck, waist, and hem picked out with geometric stitching. Another house favorite, ladder stitching, is worked on the bias, in corset-like verticals, or—a shade less convincingly—to trompe l’oeil effect. Seasonal motifs range from an abstracted slate and blue jacquard and flamenco waves to, most beguilingly, a long black-checkered dress that subtly mixes matte with shine.
