In 1996, Azzedine Alaïa joined Peter Beard in Kenya for a photo shoot. One gleans that there are tales yet untold about that epic 10-day adventure, but iconic images remain, such as one in which a giraffe nibbles from a bowl in the couturier’s outstretched hand. So, too, does an aesthetic that reverberates to this day.
Raffia and rope-like knit fringe, macramé with filigree embroidery, textured knits informed by basket weaves, animal motifs, and the safari jacket (now also in knit) are dominant currents in a collection that also revisits the couturier’s signature geography of pleating, openwork, and tiers of fringe and flounces—in one instance, all together on a single piece.
A breezy halter-neck sundress, in pleated, perforated white technical cotton over panels of desert green, red, and yellow, pays homage to the La Gitane laser-cut leather dress from spring 1994, a highlight of the Alaïa & Balenciaga exhibition currently on at the Fondation Alaia in the Marais. Another dress, in graphic perforated cotton layered over a black and white print, looks like an architectural trompe l’oeil.
Masai-inspired motifs crop up in perforations, as graphic embroidery on an A-line midiskirt, or in an openwork yoke on a white cotton T-shirt. In a riff on the caged knit dress, a black crochet number featuring the signature Vienne motif was produced without a single seam and fastens with just a side-zip. Though mind-bogglingly intricate in terms of research and development, those pieces among several others—a white knit dress with amped-up scalloping; new iterations of the fit-and-flares—seemed to hew to one of the late designer’s oft-cited edicts: “A woman shouldn’t have to overthink putting on a dress. If it’s complicated, something’s not working.”
Accessories-wise, the new Angèle soft leather clutches kept company with a corset-inspired bag, but a trio of handbags informed by basket weave techniques really stole the show. Here’s betting that those—and a new aloe green perforated tote—will make tracks.
